According to reports, Georgia’s film and TV industry have provided over 79,000 jobs, $4 billion in wages, and brought in more than 120 companies to the Peach State in the last seven years. However, film tax credits never seem to last in any state. For example, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and California were forced to restructure their tax credit program due to budget constraints, which severely hurt their respective film industry. North Carolina’s once had a thriving production community with several TV shows and movies filming all at once. However, North Carolina is lucky to have two shows filming this 2016. Louisiana was once ranked in the top 10 in the number of TV shows and movies filmed in the state. Now, the home Mardi-Gras is ranked behind Georgia after removing their tax credits and switching to a film grant program.
In addition, other countries such as Georgia and Australia are providing more competitive tax credit systems in order to boost job creation and tourism.
If representatives like Senator Bill Heath continue to push against, what he calls “the largest tax increase in Georgia’s history,” expect to see Georgia’s film industry come to a complete stop.
