Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed cap on research and development tax credits for SMEs in the life sciences sector; and what steps he is taking to ensure that companies in the Cambridge area are not affected by the cap.

Research and Development (R&D) tax reliefs, including the small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) scheme, support businesses to invest and are a core part of the Government’s support for innovation.

Budget 2018 announced a cap on the payable tax credit element of the SME tax relief scheme of three times the company’s total PAYE and NICs liability for that year, to help prevent identified fraud and abuse of the scheme.

The Government consulted between 28 March and 24 May 2019 on how the cap will be applied so as to minimise any impact on genuine businesses. The responses to that consultation, including those from representatives in the life sciences sector, are being analysed.