ALEXANDRIA, Va – Maryland politicians cast their film incentives program as the only way to lure productions like ‘House of Cards’ and boost the state’s economy.
Yet it could be that star-struck politicians and Hollywood producers are deceiving taxpayers just like the characters do in the popular fictional television show, which dramatizes the cunning trickery and cutthroat tactics of Washington, D.C.
From fiscal year 2012 to 2016, Maryland will have doled out $62.5 million in refundable tax credits for the film industry, with 96.5 percent of that total going to the production of two television series — ‘House of Cards’ and ‘VEEP.’ And yet, despite all of those breaks for Hollywood and claims of economic growth, a new study by the state’s legislative watchdog arm recommends the Maryland General Assembly allow for the subsidies to sunset in 2016.
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1 comment:
If it's a good business deal, they'll film here without the need for special tax breaks. The government should not be in the business of choosing winners and losers.
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