Joaquim Pedro Lampreia is quoted in an article by Jornal de Negócios entitled "Government contradicts IGF on new SIFIDE rules".

The government recently announced significant changes to the System of Tax Incentives for Business Research and Development (SIFIDE), reversing the restrictions imposed by the previous government. The current government proposal extends the period of access to tax benefits, contradicting a recommendation from the General Inspection of Finance (IGF) that suggested reducing the investment period to avoid tax abuses.

In Joaquim Pedro Lampreia's opinion, the restrictions imposed by the previous government "placed a restraint that was too tight. Now, the changes are aimed at restoring an acceptable level of regulation and enabling the funds to do their job".

The VdA partner recognises that, as in any measure, there is always potential for abuse, but believes that the best approach is to tackle these specific abuses directly, rather than imposing rigid rules that harm the entire sector. "As with all measures, there is always some potential for abuse and what we need to do is tackle these abuses, not change the law to penalise everyone," he said.

• This article is available here.