New York and California are in a bidding war to see who can give more tax dollars to radical, American hating movie industry billionaires.
“A state program that delivers little for taxpayers but doles out hefty subsidies to Hollywood to film shows like “Billions” and “Blue Bloods” in New York would be extended — and pay out $100 million more yearly — through Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new budget proposal.
The Film Production Tax Credit program’s yearly cap would increase from $700 million to $800 million under Hochul’s $252 billion state spending plan, with the extra cash marked for independent films.
Hochul also wants to extend the program another two years, through 2036.”
Newsom gave over $500 million to his Hollywood buddies—who love illegal aliens, hate free speech and want you to pay more taxes.
NY Gov. Hochul wants to gift billions to Hollywood in subsidies that rip off taxpayers: watchdog
By Rich Calder, NY Post, 1/25/25 https://nypost.com/2025/01/25/us-news/ny-gov-hochul-wants-to-gift-billions-to-hollywood-in-subsidies-that-rip-off-taxpayers-watchdog/
A state program that delivers little for taxpayers but doles out hefty subsidies to Hollywood to film shows like “Billions” and “Blue Bloods” in New York would be extended — and pay out $100 million more yearly — through Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new budget proposal.
The Film Production Tax Credit program’s yearly cap would increase from $700 million to $800 million under Hochul’s $252 billion state spending plan, with the extra cash marked for independent films.
Hochul also wants to extend the program another two years, through 2036.
It’s a move the watchdog group Reinvent Albany estimates would cost taxpayers another $1.8 billion and raise its overall price-tag over a 13-year period to $9.5 billion.
“It is nauseating that Governor Hochul proposes flushing . . . state taxpayer dollars down the Film/TV production pay-to-play toilet,” said John Kaehny, the group’s executive director.
An independent analysis by the financial-advisory firm PFM Group found the credit program only returns 31 cents on the dollar in revenues to state taxpayers.
The state spends a whopping $75,000 on every film and TV job supported by the program, according to Reinvent Albany’s calculations.
Big winners include hit TV shows like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Only Murders in the Building” and the “The Sopranos’” prequel movie “The Many Saints of Newark.”
Hochul also wants to lift certain program restrictions, including allowing the subsidies to offset salary costs for so-called “above-the-line” employees, who are generally directors, actors, producers and others involved in the creative process of filmmaking.
“It is nauseating that Governor Hochul proposes flushing . . . state taxpayer dollars down the Film/TV production pay-to-play toilet,” John Kaehny, watchdog group Reinvent Albany’s executive director said.Paul Martinka
The state spends $75,000 on every film and TV job supported by the program — which included the show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
Currently, makeup artists, lighting crews and other staffers on the technical end of production only qualify.
The governor also wants to sweeten the pot for producers, by adding an additional 10% credit on salary reimbursement for film companies that do at least three productions in New York beyond the 30% credit they already receive.
Ken Girardin, director of research for the Empire Center for Public Policy, said New York already has more than enough street cred to attract the film industry and that the tax-credit program is a huge waste of tax dollars.
“This whole program should be nuked from orbit,” he barked. “The state’s own numbers show this program doesn’t do what it is supposed to do.”
However, the state’s economic development agency attributed Hochul’s proposal in part to New York losing more than 20 projects to neighboring New Jersey over the past 18 months because New Jersey offers better financial incentives for the film industry.
“Governor Hochul has proposed reasonable, responsible updates that will keep the Empire State competitive and add billions to our economy,” said Empire State Development Corp. spokesman Matthew Gorton.
“Scenes about New York oughta be filmed in New York, not on a backlot in the boondocks of New Jersey.”
Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, said the governor’s proposal would “further our industry’s track record of creating union jobs, establishing talent pipelines, and supporting small businesses.”
Both Hochul and Newsom are the gifts that keep on giving to their respective states’ Republicans. The former, who ascended to the governor’s chair when her state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, resigned in disgrace, barely won being elected governor in her own right and, the month before last, even a few “Blue district” House seats flipped Red, as did a few swing district seats held by Democrats. Meanwhile here, our state’s GOP when from all but dead when the plandemic began, has made gains, if slowly, since. As early as 2022, the state electorate proved increasingly willing to defy pretty boy in ways that had little to do with moving out, and Republican voter registration has soared within the past year or less.