Climate crisis, health and the environment: the tax bonus for startups that find solutions

New tax bonus for supporting the search for innovative solutions to fight climate change. Startups operating in the sectors ofenvironmentofenergy from renewable sources and of healthcare. The companies that decide to start new research projects aimed at developing environmental sustainability tools and techniques will be able to count on a tax credit aimed at the expenses incurred in the coming months. A fund of two million euros is available, financed under the bill decree.

Company and requirements

The tax credit is intended for innovative startups only. This category includes companies that arenew company or company established for no more than five yearsthat has residence in Italy, or in one of the Member States of the European Union or in States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, provided that he/she has a production site or branch in Italyhave a annual turnover of less than five million euros and has as its exclusive or prevalent corporate purpose the development, production and marketing of a high-tech product or service.

In addition, compliance with at least one of the following requirements is required: research and development expenses equal to at least 15% of the higher value between cost and total production value; highly qualified personnel, i.e. at least one third of PhDs, doctoral students or researchers, or at least two thirds with a master’s degree; have at least one patent or registered software. In this context, the bonus is recognized only to the “younger” companies, i.e. those established from January 2020, and therefore in business for no more than three years. This is a particularly active sector: at the end of 2022 there are over 14,700 active companies in the business registers that belong to this category. Among the sectors of intervention particularly popular with companies born in recent times is that of management of water resources, process optimization, reduction of the environmental impact of productions, sustainable fashion, soft mobility, creation of innovative materials through the recovery and reuse of agro-industrial waste.

Projects and tax credit

The companies that decide to invest further in these sectors will have to activate research projects for further innovative solutions for the realization of advanced technological instruments and services to guarantee environmental sustainability and the reduction of energy consumption. In fact, only projects that will have these characteristics and that will pass the scrutiny of ministerial checks will be able to obtain the award. In the event of a positive response, the tax credit that will be recognized may go up to 20% of eligible expenseswith a bonus amount that in any case cannot exceed i 200,000 euros for each company. The tax credit can only be used in compensationboth to pay taxes and for the payment of contributions. There will be ad hoc modalities for which there will be no time limits to be able to use them. The tax credit must in fact be indicated in the next tax return and then in the subsequent ones, until its total use.

Ministerial decree with all the details

The implementing provisions of the rules that introduced the bonus will be contained in a decree of the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, in agreement with the Minister of Economy and Finance. In the text, all rules to access the bonusincluding the list of eligible expenses and the procedures for verifying and controlling the activities actually carried out.