Incentives
An incentive is a key: a tiny object with astonishing power to change a situation
The potential to access funds and incentives for a company is a real advantage over the competition, because it allows to obtain capital to invest at facilitated rates or even obtain a grant, without having to use banks or other payments from shareholders. For this reason, the various institutions (at regional, national and European level) have prepared actual aid programs for companies that decide to invest in their territories.
Entrepreneurs who decide to set up in Tuscany can benefit from a variety of incentives or financial benefits.
COMPANY SIZE CRITERIA*
| Company category | Employees | Turnover balance | Sheet total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium sized | < 250 | ≤ € 50 m | ≤ € 43 m |
| Small | < 50 | ≤ € 10 m | ≤ € 10 m |
| Micro | <10 | ≤ € 10 m | ≤ € 2 m |
*http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/sme-definition/
ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES FOR COMPANY SIZE
| Company size | LE - Large enterpises | SME - Small and medium Enterprises |
|---|---|---|
| Start Up and company development | ||
| R&D | ||
| Training and HR | ||
| Environment & renewable energy | ||
| Strategic business alliances | ||
| Internationalization | ||
| Financial restructuring |
| Main business activities supported |
|---|
| Training and employment support |
| Includes activities to support professional training, income of workers, recruitment of staff by enterprises. |
| Research & Development |
| Investment activities in one or more of the following research categories: fundamental research; industrial research; experimental development. Fundamental research consists in experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge; industrial research, simplifying, aims to acquire new knowledge or skills for developing new products and/or processes; experimental development consists in using knowledge and scientific capabilities, technology and more, to make plans and arrangements or designs for products, processes or services, modified or improved. |
| Company (re)development |
| Investment activities for the creation of a new establishment or extension, diversification or fundamental transformation of the production process of an existing establishment. |
| Advanced and qualified services |
| Include business counseling, non-routine (competitive position, technological, organizational analysis; support to product innovation in the planning, technical and testing phases; market researches; services to manage intellectual property; technical and scientific research contract). |
| Access to credit |
| Includes activities facilitating access to credit through for example the provision of free guarantees. (F.E. Free guarantees for SMEs, industry, crafts, cooperation; Guarantee for liquidity; Young entrepreneurs, women, workers already receiving benefits; Young professionals and professionals; Investment in renewable energy). |
| Type of benefit | |
|---|---|
| Shareholding | is expected that a third party purchases a share in the capital of a company or inputs to it new capital. |
| Research & Development | consists of actions to reduce the beneficiaries tax burden. |
| Soft loan | the aid is to reduce, compared to the market, the rate of interest accrued on the loan obtained by the beneficiary. |
| Guarantee provision | is charged for the third-party charges relating to guarantees that the taxpayer is required to pay to get a bank loan. |
| Sharing loan | consists of a medium-term loan conditional commitment on the part of the property of the company to increase the capitalization of the same. |
| Free service | Region of Tuscany offers companies some free services, subject to registration. |