Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan Tina Beaudry-Mellor, recently introduced Bill 129, The Saskatchewan Technology Start-up Incentive Act, for first reading in the Saskatchewan Legislature.
Designed to increase investment in early stage technology companies, the incentive will offer a 45 per cent non-refundable tax credit for individual and corporate equity investments in eligible technology start-up businesses, capped at a maximum annual benefit of $140,000 per investor.
“Saskatchewan has a growing technology sector, and government is committed to providing an attractive business environment to support its expansion and success,” Beaudry-Mellor said. “The Saskatchewan Technology Start-up Incentive will help us achieve this commitment. It will create the conditions for increased early stage investments in technology start-ups in Saskatchewan, which will in turn help enhance the growth, attraction and retention of start-ups and talent in the province.”
Announced as part of the 2018-19 Budget, the incentive program will be managed by Innovation Saskatchewan. The provincial agency will assess eligibility for applicants to ensure they meet all required qualifying criteria, including the need to be technology-based start-ups located in Saskatchewan, with 50 or fewer employees.
Offered as a two-and-a-half year pilot program, the incentive will be funded through Innovation Saskatchewan and will be capped at $1.5 million in its first year, with unused credits rolling into the following fiscal year.
The Saskatchewan Technology Start-up Incentive will strengthen the province’s innovation commercialization strategy, complementing recent related policies and programs government has developed, including:
•Co.Labs—Saskatchewan’s first technology incubator;
•the reformed Saskatchewan Research and Development Tax Credit; and
•the Saskatchewan Commercial Innovation Incentive.
The program will begin accepting applications in fall 2018, and a full evaluation will follow in the 2020-21 fiscal year.
