ŠAVŠ/TAČR Digital Czechia in a Digital Europe

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supports the establishment and operation of a number of important incubators and accelerators and thus strives to effectively support startups. The corporate income tax rate is 19%. Although this tax rate is not currently one of the lowest in the European Union, the United Kingdom is still one of the five most attractive European countries with favorable conditions for establishing a startup. At the same time, many startup entities choose to locate their business at a so-called good address, i.e. in London or Manchester. However, the disadvantage of the United Kingdom is the uncertainty caused by Brexit, which is most likely to occur. The country’s departure from the EU will probably reduce its attractiveness, and many startup companies will relocate their activities to another Member State. The high cost of labor, as shown in Table 1, is another indisputable fact that has a negative impact on the United Kingdom. Government support for startups in the United Kingdom is based on the provision of loans to startups of up to GBP 25,000, with a fixed interest rate of 6% p.a. Due to the lack of IT staff, visas are provided for ICT professionals who are not citizens of European Union countries. Through the government and private entities, a high-quality broadband Internet connection was ensured, which is an absolutely necessary condition for the implementation of startup business activities. Other significant support from the UK government includes the provision and operation of the International Business Program, professional consulting and advisory activities in the field of the establishment and operation of startups. Those interested have the opportunity to attend the Digital Business Academy and will also receive a number of information from the mentoring portal at the web address http://www.mentorsme.co.uk/. 11 This is a very popular country suitable for establishing a startup. One of the factors that makes it attractive is that there are already a number of other important startups, such as Spotify, Truecaller, Minecraft, Candy Crash, Fishbrain and many others. This country is again selected due to effective government support for startups and a stable economic environment. To attract new startups, Sweden has radically reduced its corporate income tax rate. Startups choose Sweden because of the already mentioned income tax rate, which has been substantially reduced for corporate income tax so Sweden can become a competitive country and support business development. This country is characterized by its stable economic environment, excellent infrastructure available, and high-quality education system. At the same time, there is an enormous number of so-called business angels, who have high financial resources 11 UK Government Digital Service, UK Government, 12/2018, see http://www.gov.uk. Sweden

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