Cardozo calls on government to renew digital tax credit for media

A member of the Progressive Senators Group is calling on the federal government to renew the digital tax credit. Andrew Cardozo was one of four Senators who hosted a round table on the news media on Monday. He raised the issue of layoffs and closures in the Senate Question Period on Tuesday. “Does the government share the view that news media is facing a crisis, and will you extend the digital news subscription tax credit for consumers, which is due to expire in 2025?,” he asked. Government representative in the Senate Marc Gold was noncommittal on the extension of the credit but pointed out the moves the administration has made in the past few years. “It has put into motion and introduced the Online News Act. There are a range of programs as well, such as the Canada Periodical Fund and the recently boosted Canadian journalism labour tax credit,” he stated. “The government remains committed to supporting a free press that is viable, reliable and independent at a critical time when we’re all facing an onslaught of less than credible news sources.” In his follow-up, Cardozo, a former journalist himself, took aim at the increasing adversarial relationship between reporters and those they cover. “One of the issues that came up several times during the round table, especially from academics, was the concern that journalism is under attack from some politicians. They differentiated between ad hominem attacks on journalists versus challenging reporters when they disagree with them,” he said. “What is your view on the role of parliamentarians in respecting the work of journalists whose obligation is to hold public institutions accountable, ask the tough questions and inform the public?” “Again, I don’t presume to speak for everyone in this country, but I do believe there is — and certainly ought to be — a strong consensus that a rigorous and vigorous free press is essential to democracy,” Gold responded. “That includes, though it is not limited to, holding governments to account.” Cardozo pointed to layoffs at CBC/Radio-Canada and at CTV and other parts of Bell Media, the shuttering of the Whitehorse Star after 124 years and the bankruptcy protection of Atlantic Canada publisher Saltwire as indications of the perils facing Canadian media. – Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

Cardozo calls on government to renew digital tax credit for media

Broadcast | April 10, 2024

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Cardozo calls on government to renew digital tax credit for media

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