Film Tax Credit Financing – Working Capital & Cash Flow for Canadian Productions

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The Reviews Are in - Film Tax Credit Financing Works

Information on how film tax credit financing strategies enhance the overall financial success of film and tv productions in Canada

Canadian film tax credit financing is an important aspect of financing for film, multimedia and gaming industry in Canada. The Canadian federal and provincial governments seem to be maintaining, if not increasing tax credits to the industry.


Whether firms have U.S. or Canadian origins Canadian tax credit financing is a very valuable source of capital for entertainment content that is produced in Canada.


The overall stable financial environment in Canada compared with other sovereign locations help to promote both productions and the resultant tax credit schemes as sponsored by federal and provincial governments.


The bottom line is that tax credits from an overall perspective are both improving and increasing in the Canadian environment.


The Canadian tax credit environment is somewhat different from U.S. and other European countries which focus on pre-production, future values of the production, and the ancillary revenues associated with DVD, cable, television, etc.


Therefore in Canada tax credit film financing is not necessarily related to the projects ability to repay any lender with future cash flows generated from success of the project.


In Canada, based on the current tax credit structure of federal and provincial governments the financing of tax credit sis not dependent on commercial success. Naturally the ability to predict ‘commercial success ‘is in fact impossible, as evidenced by thousands of productions in entertainment history.


So how do Canadian productions get assistance with working capital and cash for for productions that have uncertainty of success?


The answer is simply to finance film, multimedia, digital and gaming tax credits via an independent third party, which in Canada’s case is either a Chartered bank or and independent finance firm .

KEY POINT : All productions in Canada, in each of our aforementioned entertainment categories are financing in a limited number of ways - Owner equity, debt, financing tax credits, and actual government grants.

The whole area of why government is involved in such an area is for another discussion, but clearly appears to be because of the potential for employment.


If a production is able to obtain ‘Gap financing ‘then that is an alternative to tax credit financing. Simply explain Gap financing is a cash flow or mezzanine loan on territories and rights.

Film tax credit financing in Canada is a very valuable cash flow and working capital component of the industry. The financing is very ‘boutique’ in nature, with a limited number of players. We recommend you discuss or consult your film tax credit financing needs with an experienced advisor in this area.



7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com


http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Business financing for Canadian Firms , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing , Equipment Leasing , franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance . Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.

Stan has over 40 years of business and finance executive experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in depth, hands on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.

Stan Prokop




Stan Prokop

Invoice Cash – Immediate Cash For Accounts Receivable And Inventory

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Cash Flow From Your Sales - Figured Out - Finally !

Information on invoice cash financing strategy . The ability to generate immediate AR Cash from your sales revenues increases the probability of business financing & financial success

Invoice cash – What is the problem and what is the solution? The problem or challenge is a classic one for Canadian business owners and financial managers. It is that sales are growing fast, but, guess what? The receivables associated with those fast growing sales and converting into cash. In fact they are tying up your working capital for 30, 60, and sometimes 90 days. How can you tell if this is happening? Well we are sure it’s fairly intuitive to most customers, but you can actually do a very basic calculation on this to verify. We also tell our clients there is one easy way to fix the problem,


We advise our clients to track something as simple as the ‘ Turnover of Working Capital ‘ – Take your sales for the time period, example, month, or year , and divide by you working capital which is calculated by current assets minus current liabilities . If your ratio is trending higher you will find that you are having more working capital challenges.


Our clients often ask for solutions though, not a financial ratio as we have presented above! Invoice cash, also known as factoring or receivable discounting is one solution to the above working capital challenge. This solution also assumes you have been unable to get any, or enough, bank financing to fund your business.


How does this solution work – it’s a simple process of generating your invoice as you sell your product, and then on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis (it’s your choice) sending these invoices to the factoring or invoice discounting firm. They will on a same day basis send you approx 90% of those funds immediately. You have just generated IMMEDIATE cash flow for your business. The other 10% of the invoice is paid to yourself when your customer pays, minus a ‘ discounting fee ‘ , which is a carrying or financing charge for the factoring firm .


Canadian business owners need to ensure they have the right facility. We encourage clients to get the type of facility where they continue to bill and collect their own receivables during the factoring process. Also, the Canadian business landscape relative to invoice cash/ factoring firms is much different than in the United States.


As a Canadian business owner or financial manager contemplating a factoring facility you should consider the following key points:


-What fees are you paying – ensure your fee is clearly understood and has no miscellaneous costs


Ensure you can bill and collect your own receivables – many factor firms will want to take over to some degree your invoicing and collection function


Ensure you are dealing with a firm that understands the Canadian landscape – many firm are simply branches of U.S. organizations


You should ensure that your capital requirements can be met and that the firm can fund companies in your facility size range. More cash flow means more growth, more profits, and more competitive success for your Canadian company.


That is a good thing!




7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com



http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Business financing for Canadian Firms , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing , Equipment Leasing , franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance . Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.

Stan has over 40 years of business and finance executive experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in depth, hands on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.







Stan Prokop

SR&ED Financing - Cash Flow via Tax Credit Financing

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A Better Way To Take Advantage Of Your Sr&ED Refund ? We've Got One!

Information on Canada's SR&ED program. The ability to cash flow finance your SRED credit is a potential key benefit when your firm takes advantage of the SR ED refundable tax credit

The Sred program for tax credits is one of a small handful of government programs in Canada that in a very direct fashion turn credits into real cash flow and working capital that is non repayable . When business owners find out that they don’t have to wait anywhere from 3-12 months for their refund, and that they can discount, or monetize that tax credit now they are pleasantly surprised.







The question then becomes simply understanding the mechanics and benefits of such a financing – i.e... answers to the basic questions –



How much can I get?



What does it Cost?



What is involved?



What are the benefits of financing my tax credit now versus waiting for the cheque from the federal and provincial governments in Canada



Let’s cover off some of the answers and the basics you need to know to make an informed decision in this regard.

Business owners that either have prepared SRED claims in the past , or who are preparing them for the first time are always advised by their accountants and sred consultants as to how much the claim will be for . The reality is that this claim is filed at the same time you file your corporate tax return. If you have highly confident that you will receive the full amount of your claim we see many clients actually booking this future cheque as an ‘ account receivable ‘ – i.e. money that is due their firm just as if it was a sale to a customer .

So when you finance that claim you are dealing with an absolute amount. But the one thing to understand is that generally advances under the SRED tend to be in the 70% range based on the total value of the claim. So for example $ 300,000 dollar claim filed by your firm has the potential to net you 210,000.00 as a working capital loan should you choose to cash flow or monetize that claim now.

Although we see some claims as much as a million dollars from clients, the reality is that most claims tend to be in the 200 – 500k range, some smaller, some larger .



On to costs. Generally the overall size and quality of your claim, coupled with the amount will dictate the costs of financing the claim. A few key points should be kept in mind, and they clearly are in the category of ‘benefits ‘. That is to say that when you undertake a SRED loan you receive 70% of the claim immediately – there are no payments made unlike a regular loan, and you receive the final 30% of the claim when the refund is made by CRA, or, if you choose, when they indicate in writing or via their technical audit that the claim has been approved.



The financing costs are deducted out of this final 30%. So clearly the overall benefit of financing your SRED claim revolves around taking that cash and working capital and putting it to work in your business right away. Putting those funds to work might mean acquiring new equipment, reducing payables, investing in sales and marketing of your product services, etc.

A tax credit sred financing loan is not unlike any business financing. An application with typical business background data is completed , one of the key additional pieces being of course the actual sred claim you have filed, and , in some cases, proof of your success in previous years .



We advise clients the whole application and diligence process takes about 2- 3 weeks, so if you are focused on financing your sred claim you should undertake your sred financing negotiations as soon as you have made up your mind to finance the claim.

Everyone agrees the SRED program is the government’s way of encouraging in a measurable way (their cash back to your firm!) research and development. If you have filed claims in the past, or are filing for the first time you should also investigate the benefits of financing your claims.



Its non repayable money – why not put it work as early as possible to grow sales and profits and improve you overall financial picture. That’s a solid business financing strategy. Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you in cash flowing your claim,



7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com


Business financing for Canadian Firms , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing , Equipment Leasing , franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance . Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.

Stan has over 40 years of business and finance executive experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in depth, hands on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.

Stan Prokop

Why an Asset Based Lender Is Your Working Capital Solution

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Is Your Company A Cash Incineration Engine?

Let ABL Help Solve The Cash Burn Problem!

OVERVIEW – Information on how an asset based lender can provide a working capital solution that ensures the proper amount of business cash flow to run and grow a business

When we ask clients if they will consider an asset based lender for a working capital refinancing many business owners will come back with a surprise questions for us - namely ' What is an Asset Based Lender , and what do they do? The answer : Asset based lenders monetize your firms sales and assets , and, most importantly , slow down the ' cash burn ' that comes from growing sales, acquiring new equipment and other assets, etc.!


Asset based lending in Canada is still relatively speaking a fairly new for of business financing. Business owners and financial managers are moving to this form of financing for several reasons which we will discuss.

As the name implies the financing it focuses on your business assets. All sizes of companies in Canada can utilize asset financing – even start ups. Practices vary within the industry as to how the financing works on a day to day basis – frankly this is one of the biggest challenges that owners face, i.e. understanding the offering in the Canadian marketplace. (Asset based lending, or ‘ABL ‘is very commonplace in the U.S. )


Rates in Canada vary all over the place for these types of financing. The size of your financing as well as the overall perceived ‘ quality ‘ of the transaction ( as perceived by the lender, not yourself!) dictate financing rates – In Canada Abl financing cost vary from 9%/annum to , on many occasions 2% per month .

Although the financing is generally more costly it has repositioned many firms for survival and growth – simply because it brings more working capital and cash flow into your business.
The asset based lender only has one focus (your bank has two focuses). That focus is on the ‘true’ value and size of your underlying assets.

Let’s use a quick example to demonstrate the true power of asset based lines of credit. Let’s pick a sample company with say 4 Million in revenue, with the following asset size categories:
Receivables – 300k
Inventory - 250k
Equipment (unencumbered) – 400k

It is extremely common, using the asset sizes above that the firm’s bank might offer up a 225k line of credit for the receivables. For discussion purposes lets say they provided another 75k based on the personal guarantees of the owners. That’s a total of 300k. We can assure readers this would be a very common formula for a Canadian chartered bank, i.e. 75% on receivables, with no financing provided against inventory, etc.

So how an asset would based lender look at this transaction. Remarkable the line of credit provided could be in the 500k range, as an ABL lender would advance against receivables, 40% against inventory, as an example, and would also assess some value in the equipment and provide working capital financing against that.

So while the company’s asset size stayed the same the firm came close to doubling working capital and cash flow under the asset based lender. That is true working capital power.

Although the majority of asset based loans are used for straight working capital and operating facilities, many times they can be structured to allow for a major restructuring or merger and / or acquisition. Again, assets are leveraged to produce cash.
Investigate an asset based lender solution. Although sometimes more costly they provide a source of capital and do not directly affect your overall balance sheet – you are simply leveraged operating capital to the max.

Talk to a credible, trusted, and experienced advisor in this area of Canadian business - that is a solid Canadian business financing strategy for future profits and growth.



7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com


Business financing for Canadian Firms , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing , Equipment Leasing , franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance . Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.

Stan has over 40 years of business and finance executive experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in depth, hands on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.

Stan Prokop

Should My Company Lease Or Buy Long Term Assets?

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Most business owners and financial managers realize they can either purchase fixed assets out of equity, or finance those same assets on a long term lease.

Business owners need to focus heavily on the use of the asset. Any company that acquires assets has either a long term view of the asset or a short term view. Lease financing is an excellent method of financing long term assets.

From the company perspective a long term lease on the asset - typically 3-5 years, and sometimes longer, is simply a method of purchasing the equipment via a ' loan '. The company simply decides on which asset or assets they wish to acquire, and then negotiates a price with the vendor or manufacturer. Typically the company is either dealing with the vendor/mfr. or the captive finance firm related to that manufacturer.

Business owners are barraged with claims that ' leasing provides 100% financing ' or that it ' conserves capital '. More sophisticated business owners and financial executives know that long term leasing is in fact a solid mechanism for tax avoidance. Some people maintain that if corporate taxes disappeared long term leasing would disappear!

When a firm arranges leasing it of course uses the equipment, and makes fixed payments on that equipment. Business owners focus more often than not on ' using equipment ', not owning equipment. The user can though structure leases allowing them to purchase the equipment at end of term.

If a customer does not wish to acquire assets over a long length of time, and if those assets have a shorter useful economic life than a firm should consider an ' operating lease '. The company has the right to cancel the lease at the end of term, return the asset, etc. In long term asset financing the transaction cannot be cancelled.

If a firm utilized a purchase strategy for long term assets then the funds for those purchases come from equity shareholders. The company uses the asset, and it owns the asset. Many customers have a philosophy of ' pride of ownership ' and have long term histories of acquiring assets under a purchase strategy. If the company is properly funded this is of course an entirely viable option.

We would point out further that if the financial markets were ' perfect ' ( they are not!) the advantages of leasing would diminish. In that case the company would not have to consider legal costs, brokerage costs, and other miscellaneous fees. Leasing matters because there are no perfect markets - advantages gained by the lessee are at the expense of the lessor, and each company has a unique credit and risk profile.

In summary, each company has a unique financial structure and acquisition philosophy around financing and asset acquisition. Owners and managers must consider the optimal financing strategy for long term assets that best suits overall corporate needs.

Stan Prokop is founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial - http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com The company originates business financing for Canadian companies,specializing in working capital, cash flow, and asset based financing. In business 6 years the company has completed in excess of 45 Million $ of financing for companies of all size. For info on Canadian business financing and contact details see:

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/toronto_ontario_equipment_financing.html


7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com


Business financing for Canadian Firms , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing , Equipment Leasing , franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance . Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.

Stan has over 40 years of business and finance executive experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in depth, hands on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.

Stan Prokop


















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