R&D tax credit specialist firm Amplifi Solutions has added to its client base in Scotland, with digital transformation specialist ClearSky Logic, mobile ticketing and sports fan experience startup Fanbase, and Candle Shack, Europe’s leading candle-making supplier, among business wins in 2022.

Jamie Watts, Commercial Director, Amplifi Solutions, said: “It is an interesting time for our client portfolio, which includes multiple knowledge intensive companies who are enhancing their valuations by carrying out high level R&D.”

Amplifi has also strengthened its executive advisory team with two key appointments: Patricia Harvey and Andrew Blackstock.  Patricia Harvey, who brings over two decades of senior tax experience including senior roles at BDO and Baker Tilly, specialises in tax incentives, including the R&D Tax Credit scheme.  Andrew Blackstock, a construction industry expert with a background in engineering research, will lead the technical writing team and joins from ABGI.

Jamie Watts added: “Both appointments enable us to further grow our entrepreneurial tax offering, and service a wider range of innovative companies.”

The most recent HMRC statistics, for the year 2019/20, revealed that Scottish businesses received around £330 million in R&D tax credits, up by 40 per cent from the previous year.

While this is good news, Amplifi observes that recently proposed changes to qualifying expenditure, including the potential inclusion of data and cloud computing costs, will help to significantly increase the overall value available to innovators.

Jamie Watts commented: “When you look at technology-focused companies in particular, including Scottish-based startups and scale-ups, that’s where we expect to see the greatest benefit.”

Amplifi’s view is that the impact of upcoming legislative changes, including an increase in corporation tax from 19% to 25% for more profitable companies, could be partially mitigated by making better use of tax incentives, while the team additionally notes that increased cash flow pressure on tech companies is a worrying trend in the market.

Jamie Watts added: “More than ever, cash is king in 2022, and we’re finding that there are cash runway concerns for early-stage businesses as investors become more prudent following the decline in valuations in the tech sector. It has never been so important to ensure that you are able to forecast dips in cashflow and that companies use all the tools available to them to navigate these challenges.”

Founded in Belfast in 2014, Amplifi Solutions launched its Scotland office in 2019.