Dear SAG-AFTRA New England Member:
As you may know, the Governor of Massachusetts has proposed to eliminate the film tax credit. I wanted to share with you an update on where we are.
The Governor’s proposal is a stand-alone bill (H62) that phases out the film tax credit in 2017. It is not part of his FY 2016 budget. So technically, the proposal is not part of the budget process that concludes on June 30. Instead, the bill will go through the typical legislative process and has already been referred to the Joint Committee on Revenue. As of the time of this writing, there has been no hearing date yet scheduled for this bill.
The same bill also proposes to pay for the doubling of the earned income tax credit (EITC) with the alleged savings from the elimination of the film tax credit. This pits working families against working families. Expanding the EITC is important, but kicking the strong and growing film and TV industry out of our state will only hurt our economy and result in thousands of jobs lost.
In the past week, SAG-AFTRA has been working directly with other industry stakeholders both in and outside the state (MPC, Teamsters Local 25, IATSE Local 481, FilMA, MPAA) as well as other labor unions and guilds developing a strategy to combat this proposal.
Come to the SAG-AFTRA New England Annual Membership Meeting on March 29, 2015 to learn more about what you can do to help!
There will be opportunities in the future to attend legislative briefings, hearings, or other events to support our industry and your jobs. The New England Local is working with these organizations and our lobbyist to determine the most effective timing of these activities. More specific information and calls to action will be available at the annual meeting.
What you can do NOW as a Massachusetts resident:
- If you do not know your state Senator or Representative, find out now here: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx
- Start developing your own story for your legislators. The film and television incentive is about creating jobs and your job is one of the thousands created by it that is in danger of being lost. If film work is a second job, let us know how it helps you make ends meet.
- If you have already contacted your legislator and have received a response that indicates his or her position on the film tax credit, please let the local SAG-AFTRA office know by emailing newengland@sagaftra.org.
- Post a profile and picture on the grass roots website: http://savemafilmjobs.com/; You can do so by sending the profile and picture to savemafilmjobs@gmail.com. If you are on Facebook, join the invitation only FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1579758828977151/.
These are not formal SAG-AFTRA websites, but several of the page administrators are members of industry labor unions.
Press
Below are some links to articles on the recent proposal that may contain valuable information.
- Greenfield Recorder
"Shelburne Falls locals say state film tax credit helped”
- Boston Globe
"Film tax credit is a local production"
- Boston Herald
"Coming detraction: Film tax credit ax?"
Regards,
Susan Nelson
Executive Director, New England Local
News
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