A bipartisan bill in the Minnesota state legislator hopes to bring the film industry to the Gopher State with tax incentives.
If passed, Senate bill SF 1986 would create a transferable tax credit of up to 25% on in-state purchases for the production of movies and TV shows, according to the West Central Tribune.
The bill’s author, State Senator David Tomassoni of Chisholm, explained, “An incentive program like a film credit is the only way to build a thriving industry in Minnesota because so many other states and countries have implemented film credits.” He added, “Due to their success, it’s now a necessary condition for attracting large projects.”
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Minnesota entertainment rep Brian Simpson praised the measure before the Senate tax committee.
“It is sometimes said that film and TV is nothing but temp jobs, but we are just as temporary as the construction industry in that we are a project-based industry,” he said. “We are not temp jobs.”
‘American Skin’ associate producer and Minnesota native Van Hayden also shared his support for the incentive.
“Unfortunately, because of the lack of tax incentives in Minnesota, all but two of those 90 feature films or TV series, I’ve had to go out of state to work on,” he told the Senate tax committee. “I would love to bring production back to Minnesota.”
This incentive follows a regional incentive passed by the St. Louis County’s board of commissioners in December creating a rebate of up to 25% in the county, which encompasses parts of Duluth.
“Here in Duluth, we are seeing tremendous interest in this area,” explained Duluth Mayor Emily Larson to the Senate tax committee Thursday morning. “Part of it is that Duluth is so beautiful. Part of it is that we have this incredible workforce. Part of it is that we have this amazing geography. It’s deep and rich and tells a beautiful story.”
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