Connecticut to offer ‘angel’ investment tax credit
After the Connecticut General Assembly heeded the prayers of Connecticut”™s high-tech community, it remains to be seen how quickly investors will respond to the state”™s new “angel” investment tax credit.
Under the new law, angel investors can take a personal income-tax credit equal to 25 percent of equity-based investments in Connecticut startups, covering amounts between $100,000 and $250,000. To qualify, investors must either have annual income exceeding $200,000, or net worth of at least $1 million.
Connecticut plans to award up to $6 million annually under the program through the 2012 fiscal year; then $3 million through fiscal 2014, the program”™s scheduled sunset.
Members of the Connecticut Technology Council had engaged in one final round of lobbying via email to legislators.
“Looking at the bigger picture, businesses around the world are obviously looking at places where government works together,” said Matt Nemerson, executive director of CTC. “This is a good start, but it”™s just a start ”¦ It”™s a very complex issue to compete globally now; to create, and to help foster, technology transfer; to start up businesses and then make sure that when they expand, they will stay and increase jobs right here in the state.”
In passing an angel tax credit, Connecticut joins New Jersey, Vermont and Maine among Northeast states with such an incentive, with the first two offering a 10 percent incentive and Maine a 40 percent carrot. Among more than 20 states nationally with an angel tax credit, Hawaii has by far the most generous at 100 percent of amounts invested.
“There”™s a whole list of things which are here in great specificity, and that”™s the exciting thing for us,” Nemerson said. “It”™s talking about the difference between pre-seed programs and accelerating tech transfer and early-stage companies; and having things like angel tax credits and ”˜sidecar”™ funds. These are popping up in places like Boston and Silicon Valley, and the fact that we”™ll have them here ”¦ will make it possible for people in the Northeast area to think about Connecticut competitively with Boston, New York, New Jersey, Baltimore ”“ places that we used to beat and now are transcending us.”
The law is limited to investments in life science, materials, photonics, information technology, “clean” technology and any other emerging technology sectors as determined by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
A business must have its principal place of business in Connecticut, fewer than 25 workers and cannot have more than $1 million in annual revenue. DECD subsidiary Connecticut Innovations Inc. will maintain a listing of eligible startups that can trigger the tax credit.
Angel investment syndicates can also claim the credit, but not venture capital companies. And any investor that holds a 50 percent stake in a startup is ineligible.
The bill takes effect July 1, and is applicable as well to angel investments made in the first half of 2010. The jobs bill also provides loan forgiveness in a bid to encourage engineering graduates to pursue careers in Connecticut.
“This is the biggest legislative win for the tech community since we were born in 1994,” said Mike Scricca, CTC membership director, in a blog after the bill was passed. “The fact that the bill occurred during a time of recession makes it more amazing.”