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income, and any adjustment to the tax payable in respect of previous years. Management periodically evaluates positions taken in tax returns with respect to situations in which applicable tax regulation is subject to interpretation. It establishes provisions for corporation tax on gains, profits, and losses, as computed for tax purposes, arising from business activities based on amounts expected to be paid to the tax authorities.

Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected manner of realisation or settlement of the carrying amount of assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the date of the Statement of Financial Position. A deferred tax asset is only recognised to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the temporary difference can be utilised.

Grant in Aid received from the Scottish Ministers is allocated in the first instance to non-business expenditures.

Scottish Enterprise operates the Scottish Enterprise Pension & Life Assurance Scheme, a defined benefit retirement benefit plan.

The asset recognised in the Statement of Financial Position in respect of a defined benefit plan is the fair value of plan assets less the present value of the defined benefit obligation at the date of the Statement of Financial Position, together with adjustments for unrecognised past-service costs. The defined obligation is calculated annually by independent actuaries using the projected unit credit method. The present value of the defined obligation is determined by discounting the estimated future cash outflows using interest rates of high-quality corporate bonds that are denominated in the currency in which the benefits will be paid, and that have terms to maturity approximating to the terms of the related liability.

The expected return on the plan's assets less the interest cost of the plans' obligations is recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Net Expenditure as Other Finance Income or as Other Finance Charges where the interest cost exceeds the expected return on plan assets. The interest cost of the plan's obligations represents the increase in obligations arising from unwinding of the discount due to the passage of time.