Financial Incentives for SMEs and Startups
SMEs and startups benefit from a range of financial advantages specifically designed to support their growth and economic development. These incentive measures are designed to encourage investment in key sectors, stimulate innovation, promote job creation, and enhance competitiveness in the market.
Here is an overview of the main financial incentives available, as presented in Chapter 3 of the Tunisian Entrepreneur's Guide:
Value-Added and Competitiveness Grants
These grants include incentives for priority sectors. These financial incentives are designed to stimulate investments in key sectors based on activity, investment amount, and job creation. Priority sectors include the automotive industry, information and communication technologies, renewable energy, and primary processing of agricultural and fisheries products. Other grants in this category include those for material, intangible, and research and development investments.
Regional Development Grant
The Regional Development Grant aims to support investments made in regional development zones, contributing to reducing economic disparities between different regions of the country. This grant offers benefits such as investment grants of up to one-third of the approved amount, tax deductions, infrastructure support, and social security contributions for locally recruited employees.
Sustainable Development Grant
The Sustainable Development Grant encourages investments aimed at reducing the environmental impact of economic activities. This incentive is awarded for projects involving water and air pollution reduction, adoption of clean technologies, and installation of collective pollution control equipment. Beneficiary companies can receive up to 50% of the approved investment value, capped at a defined financial limit.
These financial incentives come with specific conditions and procedures to ensure effective use of funds and a positive impact on the economy. These conditions include creating a specified number of permanent jobs in priority sectors, compliance with tax and social obligations, and respect for environmental standards for investments. Eligibility for benefits also depends on the nature of the activity.
A thorough understanding of these aspects is essential for entrepreneurs, as it enables them to make informed decisions and fully exploit the resources available to them. This is why the Tunisian Entrepreneur's Guide becomes indispensable, offering an overview of growth opportunities and often overlooked financial and tax incentives for entrepreneurs.