Private ruling: Early Stage Innovation Company qualification
Date of advice: 15 November 2017
Published: April 2018
Ruling period: Year ending 30 June 2018
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2017

Ruling: Q1: Does the Company meet the criteria of an Early Stage Innovation Company (ESIC) under subsection 360-40(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)? | A1: Yes

Relevant facts and circumstances: 1. The Company was incorporated in Australia during the 2013 income year. Its equity interests are not listed for quotation in the official list of any stock exchange. 2. The Company was incorporated in Australia within the last 6 income years (the latest being the current year), and across the last 3 of those income years it and its *100% subsidiaries incurred total expenses of less than $1 million and has not yet generated any revenue. 3. The Company is developing technology. 4. The Company’s goal is to provide a technologically advanced system. The Company has identified its ultimate market as being the global market, with its initial target being Australian markets. 5. The Company has brought the technology to Australia and will develop the technology to Australian standards and conditions. 6. The Company has been involved with the development of the technology since conceptualising the idea. A related entity holds the licence to use the Intellectual Property and sublicenses to the Company. 7. The Company has highlighted key differentiators. 8. The Company has identified its addressable market as industries in Australia. Commercialisation strategy 9. The Company has completed planning to establish a technological system. 10. The Company’s commercialisation strategy starts from the development stage when a technological system is established for use and also serves as a demonstration model to attract investment. 11. The Company has engaged with industries in Australia, which have expressed their interest in a technological system. 12. The Company is initially targeting the Australian market. They will pursue product sales through: a. establishing a technological system for use which will also serve as a demonstration model to attract investment. b. the Company’s director will approach organisations with suitable projects. 13. The following market segments have been identified as initial targets: a. industries in Australia. 14. Within each of the above segments, the Company has identified specific potential customers. 15. The product requires investment to launch. Information provided 16. You have provided information in a number of documents and phone conversations in relation to the technological system. 17. We have referred to the relevant information within these documents and conversations in applying the relevant tests to your circumstances. 18. You propose to issue new shares in the Company to various investors to assist in funding the continued development and commercialisation of the technological system.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Subdivision 360-A | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-40 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-45

Reasons for decision: Summary: All legislative references are to the ITAA 1997 unless otherwise indicated. The Company meets the eligibility requirements of an ESIC under subsection 360-40(1). | Detailed Reasoning - Qualifying Early Stage Innovation Company: 1. Subsection 360-40(1) outlines the criteria required for a company to qualify as an Early Stage Innovation Company (ESIC) at a particular time in an income year. This time is referred to as the test time. The criteria are based on a series of tests to identify if the company is at an early stage of its development and it is developing new or significantly improved innovations to generate an economic return. | Detailed Reasoning - ‘The early stage test’: 2. The early stage test requirements are outlined in detail within paragraphs 360 40(1)(a) to (d). | Detailed Reasoning - Incorporation or Registration – paragraph 360-40(1)(a): 3. To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(a), at a particular time (the test time) in an income year (the current year) the company must have been either: i. incorporated in Australia within the last three income years (the latest being the current year); or ii. incorporated in Australia within the last six income years (the latest being the current year), and across the last three of those income years the company and its 100% subsidiaries incurred total expenses of $1 million or less; or iii. registered in the Australian Business Register (ABR) within the last three income years (the latest being the current year). 4. The term ‘current year’ is defined in subsection 360 40(1) with reference to the ‘test time’; the ‘current year’ being the income year in which the company issues shares to the investor. 5. A company that does not meet any of these conditions will not qualify as an ESIC. | Detailed Reasoning - Total expenses - paragraph 360-40(1)(b): 6. To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(b), the company and its 100% subsidiaries must have incurred total expenses of $1 million or less in the income year before the current year. | Detailed Reasoning - Assessable income - paragraph 360-40(1)(c): 7. To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(c), the company and its 100% subsidiaries must have derived total assessable income of $200,000 or less in the income year before the current year. | Detailed Reasoning - No stock exchange listing - paragraph 360-40(1)(d): 8. To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(d), the company must not be listed on any stock exchange in Australia or a foreign country. | Detailed Reasoning - Innovation tests: 9. If the company satisfies the early stage test, the company must also satisfy one of two innovation tests: the objective (100 point) test or the principles-based test. | Detailed Reasoning - ‘100 point test’ – paragraph 360-40(1)(e) and section 360-45: 10. To satisfy the 100 point test the company must obtain at least 100 points by meeting the innovation criteria in the table within section 360-45. The criteria are tested at a time immediately after the relevant shares are issued. If a company satisfies this test it does not need to satisfy the principles-based test. | Detailed Reasoning - ‘Principles-based test’ – subparagraphs 360-40(1)(e)(i) to (iv): 11. To satisfy the principles-based test, the company must meet five requirements in paragraph 360-40(1)(e). This is tested at a time immediately after the relevant new shares are issued to the investor. 12. The company can demonstrate that it meets each requirement through existing documentation such as a business plan, commercialisation strategy, competition analysis or other company documents. The company must be able to show that tangible steps have been or will be taken in relation to each of the requirements. 13. The five requirements of the principles-based test, as outlined in paragraph 360 40(1)(e) are: i. the company must be genuinely focused on developing one or more new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation ii. the business relating to that innovation must have a high growth potential iii. the company must demonstrate that it has the potential to be able to successfully scale up the business relating to the innovation iv. the company must demonstrate that it has the potential to be able to address a broader than local market, including global markets, through that business, and v. the company must demonstrate that it has the potential to be able to have competitive advantages for that business. | Detailed Reasoning - Developing new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation: 14. For the purposes of Subdivision 360-A, the Explanatory Memorandum to the Tax Laws Amendment (Tax Incentives for Innovation) Bill 2016 (‘EM’) provides the following at paragraph 1.76 in relation to the definition of innovation: “Implicit in the definition of innovation is the requirement that the company is developing a new or significantly improved type of innovation such as a product, process, service, marketing or organisational method. This list of various types of innovations provides flexibility for innovation companies and is adaptable to current and future innovations. The Oslo Manual, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provides a description of these different types of innovations…” 15. The innovation being developed by the company must either be new or significantly improved for an applicable addressable market. The company’s addressable market is the revenue opportunity or market demand arising from the innovation or the related business. The addressable market must be objective and realistic. 16. Improvements must be significant in nature to meet this requirement. Customising existing products or minor changes resulting from software updates, pricing strategies or seasonal changes are examples of improvements that would not be considered significant. 17. The OECD Oslo Manual defines innovations as significant changes, with the intention of distinguishing significant changes from routine minor changes. However, it is important to recognise that an innovation can also consist of a series of smaller incremental changes that together constitute a significant change. 18. In discussing services innovation activity, paragraph 111 of the OECD Oslo Manual states, “Innovation activity in services also tends to be a continuous process, consisting of a series of incremental changes in products and processes. This may occasionally complicate the identification of innovations in services in terms of single events, i.e. as the implementation of a significant change in products, processes or other methods.” 19. The OECD Oslo Manual, in relation to defining innovative services, states at paragraph 161 that “innovations in services can include significant improvements in how they are provided (for example, in terms of their efficiency or speed), the addition of new functions or characteristics to existing services, or the introduction of entirely new services.” 20. The company must be genuinely focused on developing the innovation for a commercial purpose in order to generate economic value and revenue for the company. This requirement draws the distinction between simply having an idea and commercialising an idea. 21. ‘Commercialisation’ includes a range of activities that involve the implementation or sale of a new or significantly improved innovation that will directly lead to the generation of economic value for the company. | Detailed Reasoning - High growth potential: 22. The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential for high growth within a broad addressable market. This refers to the company’s ability to rapidly expand its business. Companies that are limited to supplying local customers will not meet this requirement. | Detailed Reasoning - Scalability: 23. The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to successfully scale up the business. The company must have operating leverage, where as it increases its market share or enters into new markets, its existing revenues can be multiplied with a reduced or minimal increase in operating costs per unit. | Detailed Reasoning - Broader than local market: 24. The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to address a market that is broader than a local city, area or region. The company does not need to have a serviceable market at a national, multinational or global scale at the test time. However, it does need to show that the business is capable of addressing a market that is broader than a local market and that the business can be adapted to a broader scale in the future. | Detailed Reasoning - Competitive advantages: 25. The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to have competitive advantages, such as a cost or differential advantage over its competitors which are sustainable for the business as it expands. The company can analyse what competitors in the market offer, and consider whether the company has a differentiating advantage that would allow it to outperform these competitors. | Detailed Reasoning - Application to your circumstances: Test time 26. For the purposes of this ruling, the test time for determining if the Company is a qualifying ESIC will be a particular date during the income year ending 30 June 2017. Current year 27. For the purposes of subsection 360-40(1), the current year will be the year ending 30 June 2017 (the 2017 income year). For clarity, in relation to particular requirements within subsection 360-40(1), the last three income years will include the years ending 30 June 2017, 2016 and 2015, and the income year before the current year will be the year ending 30 June 2016 (the 2016 income year). | Detailed Reasoning - Early stage test: Incorporation or Registration – paragraph 360-40(1)(a) 28. As the Company was incorporated on 8 November 2012, which is within the last 6 income years, subparagraph 360-40(1)(a)(ii) is satisfied. Total expenses – paragraph 360-40(1)(b) 29. As the Company had expenses less than $1 million in the prior income and current year, paragraph 360-40(1)(b) is satisfied. Assessable income – paragraph 360-40(1)(c) 30. As the Company’s assessable income for the prior income year is less than $200,000 and paragraphs 360-40(1)(c) is satisfied. No stock exchange listing – paragraph 360-40(1)(d) 31. As the Company is privately owned and is not listed on any stock exchange in Australia or a foreign country, subparagraph 360-40(1)(d) is satisfied. Conclusion on early stage test 32. The Company will satisfy the early stage test for the entire 2017 income year, as each of the requirements within paragraphs 360 40(1)(a) to (d) have been satisfied. | Detailed Reasoning - Principles based test: Developing new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation – subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i) 33. According to the Company, the technology is the first holistic system. Although it will initially be targeted at the Australian market, the technological system has been identified as having a wider global addressable market. 34. The technological system will be the first to offer such a product. Genuinely focussed on developing for commercialisation – subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i) 35. The Company has taken steps in developing the technology which has led to the system being ready for potential clients in Australia. 36. The timeline provides that the Company wants to establish a technological system for use which will also serve as a demonstration model to attract investment, potential customers and increase direct sales. Conclusion on subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i) 37. The Company is genuinely focussed on developing the technological system for a commercial purpose. The technological system will be a significantly improved product compared to existing products. 38. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i) will be satisfied for the time period from 1 July 2016 until 30 June 2017 or the date when the technological system has been fully developed, whichever occurs earliest. Once the technological system has been fully developed, the Company will no longer be ‘developing’ the product for commercialisation and subparagraph 360-40((1)(e)(i) will no longer be satisfied. High growth potential – subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii) 39. The Company expects the technological system to appeal to a wide range of businesses. This aids decision making and is particularly useful when assessing product or service viability in particular markets. 40. Through its commercialisation strategy, the Company hopes to foster widespread use of its product by establishing a technological system for use which will also serve as a demonstration model to attract potential customers and increase direct sales. 41. The Company is developing the system technology themselves and through its subsidiary companies. The companies will make their revenue through supplying and installing the system technology and operating the system. 42. If the commercialisation strategy is successful, this may give the Company the ability to increase sales through referrals. 43. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii) will be satisfied. Scalability – subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii) 44. The technological system projections provided illustrates the increase in projected sales. 45. Given that the technological system will be available domestically, it is expected that the technological system has the potential to successfully scale up its business. 46. The Company’s strategy for the use of the technological system will be able to generate increased revenue. This operating leverage affords the Company the potential to successfully scale up its business. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii) will be satisfied. Broader than local market- subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv) 47. The Company’s technological system will initially be targeted at the Australian market but is intended for worldwide use. It will be released globally once it gains traction in the initial targeted markets. 48. The technological system can be used domestically by many industries. Thus, the ultimate addressable market is on an Australian / global scale and is not confined to a local city, area or region. 49. The Company has demonstrated the technological system has the potential to address a broader market than just the local market, including international markets. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv) will be satisfied. Competitive advantages – subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(v) 50. The technological system has differentiating features which may give it a competitive advantage. 51. Being the first of such a system, the Company has the first mover advantage. The Company has demonstrated the potential for the technological system to have competitive advantages within the professional business community, satisfying subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(v). Conclusion on principles test 52. The Company satisfies the principles based test as it satisfies the requirements within subparagraphs 360-40(1)(e)(i) to (v) for the period commencing 1 July 2016 until 30 June 2017 or the date when the technological system has been fully developed and is ready for sale, whichever occurs earlier. Conclusion 53. The Company meets the eligibility criteria of an ESIC under section 360-40 for the period commencing 1 July 2016 until the earlier of 30 June 2017 or the date when the technological system has been fully developed and is ready for sale, whichever occurs earlier.