With Rhode Island facing a budget shortfall of over $100,000,000, some state lawmakers are questioning the wisdom of handing out tax breaks to filmmakers working in the Ocean State. A study by the Boston based New England Public Policy Center has issued a report (warning - PDF file) pointing out the obvious: Rhode Island gains almost zero long term economic stimulus, and loses quite a lot of tax revenue, by offering filmmakers such generous tax incentives. What's more, there's very little job growth created by movie makers in the Ocean State.The Providence Journal (registration required) looks at the issue in greater depth here.
3 comments:
Um...Angelinos are known to suck the water from their fellow statesmen just a few miles north without giving anything back (til recently), clearly your statesmen were a little more hopeful or naive or something...
and, yes, that's ME saying that.
never, never, never, never give hollywood tax breaks unless you're getting royalties.
C'mon man!
Well, Rhode Island originally claimed it was willing to sacrifice a few bucks "for the exposure", but apparently, they're finding the entire enterprise a little more expensive than originally planned.
They also didn't take into consideration that some of these film shoots require that major urban thoroughfares be closed down and shut off for hours at a time, while trailers block driveways, emergency exits and so on and so forth.
So yes, Rhode Island is now marginally better represented in film and TV. On the downside, nobody still cares!
Dat's cause no one stamped "FILMED IN RHODE ISLAND" on the footage.
Bastards.
Better get your Qahog Lawyers on the case, yo!
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