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Patent Box Regimes in Europe, 2023

The aim of patent boxes is generally to encourage and attract local research and development (R&D) and to incentivize businesses to locate IP in the country. However, patent boxes can introduce another level of complexity to a tax system, and some recent research questions whether patent boxes are actually effective in driving innovation.

3 min read
Tax Subsidies for R&D Expenditures in Europe including R&D tax incentives

Tax Subsidies for R&D Expenditures in Europe

Many countries incentivize business investment in research and development (R&D), intending to foster innovation. A common approach is to provide direct government funding for R&D activity. However, a significant number of jurisdictions also offers R&D tax incentives.

3 min read
patent box regimes in Europe 2022 patent box Europe EU intellectual property tax regime IP

Patent Box Regimes in Europe

Patent box regimes (also referred to as intellectual property, or IP, regimes) provide lower effective tax rates on income derived from IP. Most commonly, eligible types of IP are patents and software copyrights. Currently, 13 of the 27 EU member states have a patent box regime.

3 min read
Tax Subsidies for R&D Expenditures in Europe

Tax Subsidies for R&D Expenditures in Europe

Many countries incentivize business investment in research and development (R&D), intending to foster innovation. A common approach is to provide direct government funding for R&D activity. However, a significant number of jurisdictions also offers R&D tax incentives.

3 min read
Compare 2021 patent box regimes in Europe (Patent box Europe data). Explore intellectual property box regimes in the EU Europe, also known as IP regimes in the EU Europe

Patent Box Regimes in Europe

Patent box regimes (also referred to as intellectual property, or IP, regimes) provide lower effective tax rates on income derived from IP. Most commonly, eligible types of IP are patents and software copyrights. Currently, 14 of the 27 EU member states have a patent box regime.

4 min read
European and G7 countries and a Comparison of their Cross-Border Effective Average Tax Rates

Carve-ins and Carve-outs: Open Questions for Global Tax Reform

There has been some confusion about how some parts of the recent G7 agreement on new tax rules for multinational companies might work. The new policies would target the largest and most profitable multinationals and bring in a global minimum tax.

5 min read
EU tax research The European Commission and the Taxation of the Digital Economy EU digital levy

The European Commission and the Taxation of the Digital Economy

The consultation on the EU’s digital levy provides an opportunity for policymakers and taxpayers to reflect on the underlying issues of digital taxation and potential consequences from a digital levy. Unless the EU digital levy is designed with an OECD agreement in mind, it is likely to cause more uncertainty in cross-border tax policy.

12 min read
R&D tax incentives, Research and development tax incentives, R&D tax subsidies and R&D tax subsidy policies in Europe

Tax Subsidies for R&D Expenditures in Europe

Many countries incentivize business investment in research and development (R&D), intending to foster innovation. A common approach is to provide direct government funding for R&D activity. However, a significant number of jurisdictions also offer R&D tax incentives.

3 min read

Poland Borrows an Idea from Estonia’s Tax System, but Misses the Point

It’s important for Poland to understand the main lesson of the Estonian approach: taxes should be designed with an overarching approach to maximize neutrality and minimize complexity and distortions. Instead of simply adopting a preference for small businesses, the Polish government should instead overhaul its corporate tax rules and truly adopt the Estonian approach to taxation.

2 min read
patent box regimes, European intellectual property tax, IP, patent box regimes, IP regimes, licensing

Patent Box Regimes in Europe

Patent box regimes (also referred to as intellectual property, or IP, regimes) provide lower effective tax rates on income derived from IP.

4 min read
intellectual property IP tax GILTI FDII global minimum tax Biden tax patent boxes impact business, patent boxes, software, intellectual property tax

How Patent Boxes Impact Business Decisions

As with every change in tax policy, there are trade-offs. The Modified Nexus Approach adds an additional layer of complexity to the already complex issue of taxing IP income. Linking tax breaks for IP income to its associated R&D activity has changed the game and will likely result in some businesses restructuring and relocating their IP assets and R&D activity. Effective tax rates on IP income will likely play an important role in determining optimal locations, giving measures such as R&D credits more importance. Whether this new approach to IP taxation will impact profit shifting and which countries will be the winners and losers is yet to be seen.

6 min read