Massachusetts Says Film Tax Breaks Flop

Tax incentives, Tax incentives ... Attorneys and politicians! Incentives are there to bring jobs to the state and as much as Louisiana has had some rough times with bad judgment in the past, the state is bringing in films and building their work force. Go Georgia, Texas and all the other states who are trying to do it right.

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Jean-Luc Martin
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From Deadline Hollywood: By Nikki Finke's
Massachusetts lost $95.5 million last year, and is on the hook for another $250 million over the next two years, because of film tax breaks. The Bay State also has to make good on up to $130 million in tax credits in the coming fiscal year, and $117 million in the next, at a time when the state is facing a revenue free fall. That's according to what the Boston Herald calls an "astonishing" report quietly released on the Bay State's Department Of Revenue web site just before the July 4th weekend. The film tax break program has delivered only 15 cents in revenues for each dollar the state gave away to moviemakers. And, of the $289 million in wages paid on the productions last year, only 18% went to local workers. Presently, Massachusetts is building a proposed $500M studio in Plymouth. But some lawmakers want to put a $2M cap on how much a movie star’s salary can be used toward the credit. The DOR study is the most comprehensive look at the local moviemaking since lawmakers expanded tax incentives for films in 2007. But the Boston Herald also pointed out that backers of the tax breaks disparaged the DOR research as authored by ex-employees for New York movie interests.