The federal government is excluding broadcast media from the journalism support tax credits announced in Budget 2019.

Only newspapers are eligible for the new tax credits for news and journalism.

 According to the Reuters Institute’s 2018 Digital News Report, more than 75 per cent of Canadians get their news from television and radio, while only 31 per cent cite newspapers as their primary source.

 “Canadians want to be informed and they want a diversity of trusted, quality news sources from which to choose,” said Lenore Gibson, Canadian Association of Broadcasters  Board of Directors chair. “The federal government’s exclusion of broadcasters —the preferred source for news among Canadians — is arbitrary and unfair policy."

Canadians place a high value on local news and are concerned about the decline of journalism according to Nanos polling. More than two-thirds (70%) of Canadians agree their MP should work to keep local broadcasting strong. The majority of  Canadians polled say local broadcast news is valuable. Also, a majority of respondents agree that their local broadcast news contributes to making their community stronger.

 “If the government is truly committed to recognizing the vital role media plays in helping citizens make informed decisions, it must find a way to include radio and television news outlets in this tax credit regime,” said Gibson.

The tax credit was announced in the 2018 Fall Economic Statement.