Main data of the activity of R&D in Spain and his financials

Soul CGconsultant featured in the optimization of costs through taxation, has analysed in detail the data corresponding to our country collected in the 8th edition of the international barometer of financing of the 2012 innovation, which develops and makes public on a yearly basis. The barometer provides the analysis of 4,320 innovative companies from 10 countries (Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Canada), of varying sizes and sectors such as: soul and media technology (Telecom 16%, energy/environment 15%, 8% and pharmaceutical 8% 10%, electronic engineering) and services. Francisco Marín, patron of the Cotec Foundation and representative for Spain of the Committee of experts have interpreted the data thrown up by the survey, together with Juan Mulet, general director of Cotec, contributed to the assessment of data from the activity of r & d in Spain.

The 11.178 Spanish companies with r & d activity conducted a total expenditure of 7.396.369 (K) (Ine 2011), totally inadequate number to be competitive against the neighbouring countries and at the international level. Although Spain is a moderately innovative country, the modifications made in 2011 and 2012 for the structure of the system of financing of innovation, they have affected full companies with innovative activity. These are some of the conclusions suggested by Cotec.

In addition, the financing of innovation of the Spanish companies declined last year greater than in other countries (34% in Spain compared with 22% of average in the rest of countries). The data collected in the barometer is alarming, especially if we take into account that for most innovative companies surveyed, their level of funding is stable (44.6%), and is even growing (33.6%).

If we go deeper into the analysis of the data of the barometer, we see that there is also a distance in terms of the values of the strategic priorities of the companies. For 24% of the Spanish, the priority is innovation, compared to 37% of the rest of respondents, followed by the reduction of overall costs (18% for the Spanish compared to 12%), and third international development (13% for the Spanish compared to 12%).

Exists however unanimity in how are funding the R&D: in greater quantity with own bottoms (57% of the Spaniards in front of 53% of the rest of countries), followed of public funds (25% of the Spaniards in front of 55% of the rest of countries). Now well, the impact of the external financials in the Spanish companies has been minor that in the rest of countries: 27% of the Spanish companies increased the volume of business in new offers in front of 59% in the rest of countries; 19% of the Spaniards increased the number of innovations that arrive to the market, in front of 60% in the rest of countries; 18% increased the work of R&D, in front of 40% in the rest of countries, and 20% increased the agreements for the R&D.

Regarding the main external resource used to fund the R&D, the Spanish companies coincide with the ones of the rest of countries polled: the fiscal deductions. 58% of all the respondents use them and 18% has deduced for the first time. In Spain, 55% of the companies polled use them. The obstacles for his greater use are also seemed in all the countries polled: activities no deductible (25% in Spain and 28% in the rest of countries); fault of knowledge on the mechanism (18% in Spain versus 15%) and the complexity of the mechanism (17% in all the countries polled).

The fiscal deductions play as a very important paper in the current business world: like help to improve the tesorería (45% of the respondents in Spain and Canada) and for the maintenance of the employment (20% of the Spanish respondents and Czechs), from here that it exist some worry in front of his possible elimination, since beyond all doubt it is a tool of territorial attraction.

In this sense, the Spanish government has stepped more in the support to the competitiveness of the business fabric Spanish, when activating mechanisms like the cash back and foresees the reintroducción of the system of bonuses in the quotas to the Social hygiene of workers devoted in scoop to the R&D. These fiscal modifications would situate us in better position to attract direct foreign investment (IED). The change of productive model that needs Spain requires of the participation of intensive companies in technology and in R&D developed in Spain, as well as political of fiscalidad of the R&D that favour the attraction of these companies.

In spite of the existent limitations in the fiscal system Spanish of support to the R&D, to achieve maximizar the fiscal return generated, the companies can enter variables of fiscal type in the taking of decision on the planning of his activities of R&D. In the fiscal return have to take into account three variables: the eligibility of the type of activity and cost, the intensity of the investment in R&D and the temporalidad understood like distribution in the time of this saving. This last variable earns importance because the effect that has an incentive is directly proportional to the immediacy of the reward. That is to say, minimise the time that passes since it realises the investment and the saving that generates. In this context, it is necessary to take into account three key elements:

1. The configuration of the payments fractionated (fiscal deductions by R&D and the reduction of income by cession of intangible-Patent Box).
2. The moment of settlement of the differential quota.
3. The possibility of restitution of the fiscal credits generated (cash back).

Analysing some data on the fiscal return, calls the attention that according to the Statistics of the Aeat corresponding to the fiscal exercise 2010, so only 121 companies have applied the Patent Box, of which around 60% are big groups, generating a fiscal saving of more than 74 million euros. Although the Patent Box entered in Spain in 2008, his percentage of penetration is still minimum, and therefore, the potential of development that has by in front is very promising.

Concentación geographic and sectorial utilisation Patent Box in Spain.

In the same statistics and by this order: Galicia, Madrid, Navarra and Andalucia are the geographic areas that stand out in the utilisation of the Patent Box, and the most active sectors are: Services and Industry.

One of the included points in the Preliminary draft of Law of Emprendedores, is the modification of the tax incentives tied to the Patent Box. At present this incentive allows the reduction in the base imponible of the Tax on Societies of 50% of the income obtained by the cession to third of the right of use or exploitation of patents, drawings or models, planes, formulas or secret procedures, cession of rights on relative informations to industrial experiences, commercial or scientific.

The novelty that enters the future Law of Emprendedores is that the reduction will be able to apply no on 50% of the income obtained, but of the profits that originate, and increases the percentage of reduction to 60%. It will apply , therefore, on the net income and no on the gross that originate these rights of cession or exploitation. Likewise it will be able to apply this deduction no only for the active created by the company, but also for the purchased to third. In these cases the well has to remain at least two years in the company and the percentage of reduction to apply will be of 40%.

Also there are changes regarding the limits of his application. Now only it can apply until the fiscal exercise in which the income accumulated derived of said cession multiply by 6 the cost of generation of the active. With the new Law the application of the incentive will not have limit any. These appearances are already in force in other countries of the EU and suppose an important support to the innovative activity in the Spanish companies, improving his competitiveness when equating the conditions of application to the ones of foreign countries.