Next Steps to Prevent Effective Repeal of Film & TV Incentive Program
(Update from the Massachusetts Production Coalition)
Advocacy Update
State Senate Budget Debate
Yesterday the State Senate adopted an amendment (#38) to their state budget that proposes substantial and extremely damaging changes to the film and television production incentive program. Most significantly, this amendment would limit the credit with a salary cap that would prevent major productions from filming in Massachusetts.
Major film and television productions invest in high-profile talent as part of their product; and therefore spend the most in the state, create more jobs, buy more goods and services from local businesses, and have a larger overall economic impact on our cities and towns.
This amendment was added in the Senate’s fiscal year 2018 state budget debate. The state’s House of Representatives has already passed their budget, which DOES NOT include any changes to the film and television incentive program.
Our Next Steps
Between now and the end of June, the House and Senate will work to reconcile the differences in their 2 budget versions during a “conference committee” to produce a final state budget. A conference committee is a set of members from the House and Senate appointed to reconcile these 2 budgets. There are no public hearings during this process. Their completed budget is then submitted to the Governor for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st.
Over the coming weeks we will focus our efforts to prevent this poisonous change to the film tax credit from being included in the final state budget. We are working closely with our fellow industry stakeholders to ensure it does not happen.
We will call on you to take action in different ways to urge our state legislators not to eviscerate the film and television production incentive program with this amendment.
We have a lot of work to do in the next month and will be in touch shortly with next action steps.
Thank you for supporting these efforts and your quick response to advocate for film jobs and business in MA!