Access to Capital
Critical Mineral Exploration
Tax Credit (CMETC)
The CMETC is a new incentive that provides investors in companies exploring for certain critical minerals a 30% tax credit based the amount invested. This is double the current 15% credit available with the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (METC), and the legislation outlines how funds must go towards exploration for one of the following 15 minerals: copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt, graphite, a rare earth element, scandium, titanium, gallium, vanadium, tellurium, magnesium, zinc, a platinum group metal, or uranium.
According to the legislation, funds raised under the CMETC mechanism will require a qualified person to certify the primary targets of exploration are within the listed mineral suite and that the amendments came into force on April 7th, 2022. Following the legislation, on Dec. 2022 Canada Revenue Agency published the certification form that the qualified person must fill. Please see the relevant links in the tiles below.
Bill C-32 Addresses
CMETC Legislation
Bill C-32 (Fall Economic Statement implementation act), which outlines the implementation of the new CMETC, received royal assent on Dec. 15, 2022.
CMETC
Certification Form
A qualified professional engineer or professional geoscientist must certify CMETC share issuances, using the CRA's prescribed form.
PDAC Letter on the CMETC
Legislative Draft
Following the release of the CMETC legislative draft, PDAC submitted a response to Finance Canada. In our response we emphasized the need to release the prescribed form as soon as possible and addressed various other aspects/concerns we had regarding the legislative draft.