고용개선 측면에서의 연구개발세제의 평가와 개선방안 연구

This study is to review whether tax benefits for research and development (“R&D” hereafter) activities are beneficial for job creation, and, if so, to provide “R&D friendly” practical plans to revise tax laws based on comparison with those in developed countries. Positive research of this study shows that R&D’s contribution to job creation is enough, and, as a result, improving R&D taxation as below deserves the fullest consideration. First, restriction on tax-favored R&D activity that it is confined to “qualified division” activity should be relieved, and ex-ante qualification test for big beneficiaries should be adopted. Second, tax-favored activity should be concentrated on pure R&D activity, excluding human resources development, and qualification test on such activity should be interpreted favorably. Third, carryover period for over-the-limit R&D tax credit should be extended, and carryback refund for it should be adopted, especially for small-and-mid sized firms, to relieve cash flow problems of technology firms. Finally, definition of “labor expenses”, major object of tax benefits for R&D activities, should be prescribed clearly to prevent arbitrary interpretation of the tax authorities.