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How BlackBerry’s recent failures could help save the company

Published Nov 7th, 2013 12:10PM EST
BlackBerry Tax Refund

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The BlackBerry saga took an interesting turn on Monday when BlackBerry announced that it had a change of heart. The company took itself off the table, ousted CEO Thorsten Heins and said it would take a $1 billion loan from Fairfax Financial, which reportedly wasn’t able to raise enough cash for its proposed $4.7 billion buyout. What major strategic changes will BlackBerry make in an effort to reverse course and right the ship? We have no idea, but that $1 billion should help a bit in the meantime. And according to Forbes contributor Kelly Phillips Erb, BlackBerry may have another huge chunk of cash coming its way very soon.

BlackBerry has reported operating losses in five of its last seven quarters as the company’s struggles worsened. All those losses could end up helping BlackBerry now that it’s on the hunt for cash, though, and Forbes explains why.

“Losses aren’t always a bad thing,” Phillips Erb wrote. “Those losses may offer the company a silver lining. Like the U.S., Canada offers companies the ability to carry losses forward and backwards. That means that losses in one year can offset profits in a prior year (or if none, carried forward to future years) to reduce tax bills. Since those tax bills have already been paid, that means potential refunds. How much of a potential refund? Maybe as much as $1 billion.”

BlackBerry is rumored to be in negotiations with the Canadian government, seeking a tax refund of as much as $1 billion by the end of 2013.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.