UPDATE: Films = Jobs Campaign

Film Tax Credit Update

As you know a budget rider included in the Senate budget would cripple the Film and Television Production Incentive. This would cap the amount of above-the-line salary that could be applied to the Film Tax Credit, driving film production away from Massachusetts, killing local jobs and hurting small business vendors that are a part of the film production ecosystem. 

The House and Senate are currently working on the final version of the budget and we want to prevent this measure from becoming law.

Our Films=Jobs campaign has strongly responded to this attack.  

Over the past 3 weeks:

You have sent more than 1,700 emails into the state House.

• Leaders from the film and production industry have sent letters and have been meeting with legislators.
• Letters have been sent to the Conference Committee and the entire legislature urging them to reject the change proposed by the Senate, including letters from:
• SAG-AFTRA, I.A.T.S.E. Local 481, Teamsters Local 25 and the MA AFL-CIO.
• 22 members of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Production Coalition.
• 12 leaders of the Massachusetts higher education community.
• Several major studios and production companies.
• Thousands of coffee sleeves proclaiming “Films = Jobs” have been distributed at a coffee house near the state House and carried into the building by legislators, staff and visitors.

Also, last week hundreds of actors, industry workers and supporters came into the state House to visit their state senator and state representative to oppose the change.

The House and Senate continue to meet as a “Conference Committee” (where three members of the House and three members of the Senate work out a final version of the state budget). The new fiscal year begins July 1 and conferees work to have a new state budget in place by then.

WHAT YOU CAN STILL DO:

If you haven’t emailed your state senator and state representative already, please use the following link below do so and urge them to oppose the changes to the Film and TV Production Incentive: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/twvjO-v7ev0hun_iuUtknA.

SAG-AFTRA is a union that has among its members a diverse group of performers, broadcasters and newscasters. The passage of this resolution/statement should not be interpreted as a personal statement of opinion by or of any specific member of the union.