Tax Benefits for Companies
In carrying out its activity, companies may access the tax benefits provided for in the Investment Tax Code which cover corporate income tax (IRC), surtaxes, stamp duty (IS), municipal property tax (IMI) and municipal transaction tax (IMT). In many cases local tax benefits can be added to these benefits, which are granted by Municipalities.
The set of simulators for the tax benefit scheme for companies is divided into the following areas:
TAX SUPPORT SCHEME FOR INVESTMENT
For investment projects in the following areas: mining and manufacturing,
tourism, including activities of relevance to tourism; IT and related activities
and services; agricultural, aquaculture, fish farming, livestock and forestry activities;
research and development and high-technology activities; information technologies and audio-visual
and multimedia production; defence, environment, energy and telecommunications; shared services centres
activities), independently of the amount the following tax benefits may also be granted:
a) IRC abatement of the following amounts for relevant applications:
CONTRACTUAL TAX BENEFITS FOR PRODUCTIVE INVESTMENT
Investment projects, where the relevant applications are of an amount equal
to or greater than (euro) 3,000,000.00, (in the following areas: - mining
and manufacturing industry; - tourism, including activities of interest to
tourism; - IT and related activities and services; - agricultural, aquaculture,
fish farming, livestock and forestry activities; - research and development and
high-technology activities; - information and audio-visual and multimedia production
technologies; - defence, environment, energy and telecommunications;- shared services
centres activities), may be granted tax benefits, within a contractual scheme, for a
period of up to 10 years. These investment projects may also, cumulatively, be granted
the following tax benefits:
TAX INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR RESEARCH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (SIFIDE II)
Investment projects in the areas of research and development may obtain
significant financial benefits regarding corporate income tax. IRC
taxpayers resident in Portuguese territory who carry out as their main
activity, an activity of an agricultural, industrial, commercial and services
nature and non-residents with a permanent establishment in this territory may
reduce from their determined IRC amount and up to that same amount, the amount
corresponding to the expenses for research and development, concerning the
part that has not been subject to non-reimbursable financial support from the
State, carried out within the tax periods starting from 1 January, 2014 and
31 December, 2025, within a double percentage:
VENTURE CAPITAL COMPANIES (SCR) AND VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTORS (ICR)
Venture capital companies may reduce their determined IRC amount and up to that same amount,
an amount corresponding to the total of the sum of the determined IRC amount due for the
five financial years prior to that regarding the benefit, provided that it is used in
carrying out investments in companies with the potential for growth and enhancement.
The deduction is carried out when liquidating the IRC regarding the financial year
in which the investments were carried out or, when this is not carried out fully,
the amount not previously reduced may be so done, under the same conditions,
in the liquidation of the five following financial years.
Shareholders of single person ICR companies, informal investors in companies
channelling investment in companies with the potential for growth, certified within
the scope of the COMPETE Programme, and informal investors in venture capital certified
by IAPMEI, within the scope of the FINICIA Programme, may also within the scope of their
determined IRC amount in that year, up to a limit of 15% of this, deduct an amount
corresponding to 20% of the value invested by it or by the single shareholder ICR company
of which they are a shareholder.
JOINT INVESTMENT AGENCIES
Real estate investors who are organized into one of the forms of collective
investment undertaking, that is, in the form of a real estate investment fund
or a real estate investment company, benefit from a special IRC tax regime and
are exempt from surtaxes.
To calculate the taxable profit, capital and property income and capital gains
are not considered, except when such income derives from entities residing or domiciled
in a country, territory or region subject to a clearly more favourable tax regime as
shown in the list approved by order of the member of the Government responsible for the
area of finances.
SEED PROGRAM
Portugal has activie policies to support the creation of micro and small enterprises in the field of technology
This program allows part of the taxes paied by any contributor to be
used to acquire stakes in micro and small companies certified by the national network of business incubators
SPECIFIC TAX BENEFITS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF VISEU
The Municipality of Viseu has active policies in place to attract investment depending on the level of
investment (+€75,000), the number of jobs to be created, the project implementation deadline,
the nature of the activity, and there may be room for refund of IMI, IMT and municipal taxes.