Tax Credit for the Digital Transformation of the Print Media

• Refundable tax credit covering 35% of eligible digital conversion expenses.
• Annual aid can reach up to $7 million per company.
• Eligible expenses include total salaries of qualifying employees and costs associated with eligible digital conversion contracts incurred after March 27, 2018 and before January 1, 2026.

• The company must have an establishment in Quebec and carry on business there.
• The company must produce and distribute a print or digital news medium (in print, web, or mobile application format) that has been published for at least 12 months prior to the first application.
• The medium must publish original written content of general interest intended for the Quebec population and cover at least three of the following seven themes: politics, municipal affairs, international affairs, culture, business and economy, local news, miscellaneous news.
• The newsroom must be located at the company's Quebec establishment, with original editorial content produced by journalists.
• The company must obtain an annual eligibility certificate for the medium, each eligible employee, and each digital conversion contract from Investissement Québec.

Who is eligible?

• Companies operating print or digital news media in Quebec
• Enterprises producing and disseminating written news content in print, web, or mobile formats
• Businesses with a newsroom located in Quebec

Who is not eligible

• Companies that are exempt from tax for the fiscal year (except those recognized as a registered journalism organization whose fiscal year began after December 31, 2019).
• Crown corporations or subsidiaries wholly controlled by a Crown corporation.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries of eligible full-time employees dedicated to digital transformation activities.
• Expenses related to eligible digital conversion contracts, including: Acquisition or rental of eligible electronic information processing equipment and necessary software used exclusively for digital transformation.
• Fees for services directly related to digital conversion activities.
• Cost of rights or licenses used for digital activities within the company.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies with an establishment in Quebec.

• Fees are charged by Investissement Québec for the analysis of eligibility applications.
• It is recommended to submit all required documents in a single submission for faster processing.
• Documents can be submitted electronically via approved software platforms, eliminating the need for paper copies.
• Certain supporting documents must be prepared and retained by the applicant and provided upon request, even if not initially required with the application.