Written by Kianna Best on Jul 13, 2023. Posted in Awards and Festivals

California extends film tax credit

On Monday, California governor Gavin Newson signed a bill signifying the extension of the state’s USD 330 million tax incentive for film and television production. Following a year long period of bargaining between Hollywood, entertainment unions and state lawmakers, the programme will be extended for five more years through 2030.

“California’s iconic entertainment industry drives economic growth in communities all across our state,” the governor said. “Over the past years, our Film and Television Tax Credit Program has helped create thousands of good paying jobs, relocated productions to California, and brought billions in new investment to our state. Through the extension of the program, we’ll continue this growth, protect jobs, and push for progress on diversity so workers better represent communities throughout our state.”

Image courtesy of Humberto Portillo by Unsplash

The new programme is estimated to create 60,000 new jobs as well as generate USD 10 billion over the five year period. With preceding versions of the programme, productions have generated over USD 23 billion, supporting the employment of 178,000 cast and crew. In light of the 2021 Rust incident and the death of Halyna Hutchinson, the new programme will also include gum safety requirements for all productions in the state.

Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission, stated: “For more than a century, our unmatched crews, talent, infrastructure and locations have made California the world’s entertainment capital. The extension of our tax credit program will strengthen our global competitiveness and deliver significant, long-term value to California’s economic future.”