Written by on Feb 12, 2015. Posted in Incentive News

More Michigan film incentive uncertainty as Governor advocates funding cut

The future of Michigan’s filming incentive has become more uncertain with the Governor advocating a significant cut from the film fund. Reducing the fund will mean the state will struggle to appeal to big-budget features on the scale of Batman V Superman.

Governor Rick Snyder wants to cut USD 12 million from the film fund for 12 months, before returning it to a full USD 50 million for the 2016 fiscal year, which would in fact be double the figure of previous years, reports the Detroit News. The move is being planned to reduce Michigan’s fund deficit.

Snyder’s plan comes within days of a Michigan state Representative calling for the filming incentive to be cut altogether by the end of this year.

Michigan has been sending mixed signals in recent months regarding support for its production industry. The calls to variously defund and remove the filming incentive have come just a few weeks after lawmakers seemed to agree to extend the programme through to 2021.

As is the case in many parts of the US, filming incentives are controversial in Michigan as their true economic benefits can be interpreted in different ways. Filming incentives are generally opposed by conservative politicians.

Michigan’s production appeal has declined in recent years since a massive reduction in the state’s filming incentive fund. The state has still been able to attract major shoots, but while Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice based filming at Michigan Motion Picture Studios, authorities had to agree to pay some USD 35 million in incentive support to secure the shoot.