Baker wants to kill tax credit for Hollywood, expand one for some low-income workers

Post-production is my business. Yes, footage is sent everywhere. But having a DIT and crew and on-set/local processing is more common now then ever. There has been a huge jump in the number of post-production companies and their clients in the last 10 years which is directly related to the tax credits. Where there is film production there is local post-production if for any other reason then the turn around is so much quicker and even if final posting is going to be done in LA, etc they want to start the process during the shoot. Sure, some of these company are created and killed overnight but the employees still exist with their skills and income taxes.

I'm on the fence about the value of the tax credits myself -- as you say they are easy to manipulate, resell, and otherwise leverage in ways that doesn't help the local economy. But to claim that because everything is digital so local shooting doesn't equal local posting is just wrong.

1. It's not all about Boston. The tax credit is state-wide.
2. While I'm a believer in scrutinizing vague happy-sounding "jobs created" claims, I think that focus on permanent jobs created largely misses the point. I don't know much at all about the film industry, but the purpose of the tax credit wasn't to create permanent production facilities in Massachusetts, was it? It was to create an incentive for filming in the state, and that's itinerant work by definition. Why would you expect anything different?
3. There's definitely spillover benefit in areas where filming takes place. Film production companies bring in their own catering and workers, yes, but I know a cafe owner whose business got a nice shot in the arm when a production company working nearby opened a tab with him for all their workers. I know other business owners who were paid to have their stores used as locations, people who rented houses, babysitting gigs, local equipment rental. Also a lot of benefit from film tourists, people who want to see a film with their favorite actor being shot.

"Hollywood East"? How about "Siberia West"?! So much cheaper here then trekking there, Alaska, or Greenland for snow! OK, so Ice Road Truckers is filmed in Alaska, but a small production.

These tax credit fuel movies can help some tourism here, though I can't say I'm all that interested in visiting North Carolina or Louisiana where much is being filmed now.

I'd think if I owned a sub shop or a dry cleaning business that I'd love to get the same deal that favored industries get. Subsidizing a movie so that Cameron Diaz can get paid more certainly doesn't seem like a good deal for them.

Not decreasing taxes is the same as raising taxes, since people are paying more and more every year. Still, keeping rates the same is not increasing taxes, and removing any tax credits or deductions does not affect the overall tax rate. Yes, to the taxpayer, and the end of the day, your tax bill goes up, but the rate is constant.

Even back in the Bob Vila days, it was 'bankrupt the homeowner' most of the time. He was the worst. I remember one homeowner who wanted to leave a brick chimney exposed in her kitchen, and Vila actually said "No, you don't want that," and it was for supposed esthetic reasons, not because of any structural problem that would result.

I can't see that show relocating because of the tax credit going away. They started and stayed for all those years before there was a credit, so its disappearing is not likely to make them move.