Comments

1
A more important question - is a tax cut a subsidy?

No it is not. A subsidy is money taken from taxpayers and given to recipients.

A tax credit is less money taken from taxpayers.
2
A more important question--is a whirlygig a hootenany?

No it is not. A hootenany is rollicking shenanigans.

A banana is an orange.
3
But isn't that the point D? The article says the tax credit for donating money to the fund exceeds the amount that's was actually donated.
4
OPIF CREATES JOBS! Plain and simple. And Jobs = revenue for the state.

The OCPP study misses the point. This isn't just about film jobs. Yes, this is an indutsry that produces 13,000 jobs in OR. All of which will go away instantly without the incentives. Why? Because other states are grabbing them up like crazy with even higher incentives. Why again? Because they realize that a working state resident is a tax paying state resident and those tax revenues will help fill the state coffers rather than emptying them out in payments of unemployment and food and healthcare payments.

Also, this does not just affect film and television workers, it affects all the "Multplier" businesses that they use to purchase goods and services from in order to produce the programing they come here to shoot. Hotels, auto rentals, truck rentals, cell phones, food, gasoline, furniture, clothing, lumber, paint, hardware, equipment rentals, and on and on and on!!! Many of which are mom and pop businesses that are in total support of OPIF.

All of those "Multiplier" businesses have to hire more people to fill those orders and provide those services. Thus, raising the total negative economic impact of killing OPIF and sending all those film jobs elsewhere.

For every dollar set aside for OPIF, $1.80 comes back in to Oregon's economy and NOT ONE CENT IS PAID OUT TILL PAYMENTS COME IN. OPIF is REVENUE NEUTRAL.

Its easy to use scare tactics on the public and to manipulate those less well off with the "$100 tax credit for every $90-95 you donate to the state film fund." statement or the "This is not the time to be lining the pockets of Hollywood" statements coming out of the OCPP. But the fact is that this incentive program has a proven record of job creation and expanded tax revenue collections from working Oregonians and an expansion of this program with only expand the jobs created and the revenues collected. This is why the Governor has chosen to expand the program in a time when other programs are being cut. Because in the end, the net economic impact on state revenues WILL BE POSITIVE.

We don't need an anti "Rich People" Spin study to cloud the fact that this is a JOBS BILL. And not just jobs in the Film Industry. Jobs throughout the Oregon Economy.

TJ Civis
Filmmaker/Film Worker
5
The Oregon production community is not made up of, as Chuck Shetketoff (of OCPP) says, "very well-to-do people." We are, in fact, production crew working very hard at overwhelmingly non-polluting and living-wage jobs that come into Oregon directly as a result of the incentives that the Oregon Production Incentive Fund provide.

This fund does not pay our wages, but gives some tax incentives for producers to bring their feature films, series and commercials to Oregon. Without these incentives, they would go elsewhere and Oregon production crew jobs would vanish. As it is, these jobs are only there for the duration of each production and for this industry to remain robust,
Oregon must continue to be competitive with other states (and countries) to keep them coming.

A good example is the "Leverage" series, coming back yet again for another multi-month production schedule. When I worked on "Leverage" early-on in their series, I stepped on the set and saw dozens and dozens of Oregon residents working, both crew and local actors. I've worked on many other films and commercials and have seen all the jobs for Oregon crews that
these productions generate.

What do we do with our pay from these productions? I spend my money at local businesses like Pro Photo Supply, beau coup restaurants plus grocery stores, etc., etc., etc. Get it?

Instead of relying on press releases from people like Shetketoff, who clearly doesn't get it either, why don't you consider a real journalistic reportage on the whole story.
Further, why not interview some of the producers who have brought their productions to Oregon...and then return with even more work for Oregonians.

The OPIF needs to continue as well-funded as possible in order to keep the production industry viable in Oregon. Without it, our industry would whither and die, as it nearly did before this great idea grew legs. Further, the work done by Vince Porter and Staff at the Oregon Governor's Office of Film and Television, http://www.oregonfilm.org to bring productions to Oregon is immense and successful. Even with cutting back their own staff they have been able to keep Oregon's reputation as a great place to bring a production.
Other state-wide organizations exist, such as the Oregon Media Production Association http://www.ompa.org who are working diligently as well to make Oregon a destination for filmmakers and production companies.

Sincerely,

Frank DiMarco
6
by doing it this way, Oregon gets cash (from donors) to give to filmmakers. they don't have to dig into GF monies for funding films. the tax credit makes the GF smaller, however, which impacts minor spending issues like schools and public safety and old folks not dying.

giving rich guys money to support filmmaking doesn't make a ton of sense, but if it's the only way to get the cash, perhaps that's the choice we make in these difficult economic times.

this is also an argument for the Oregon State Bank: instead of tax credits, the OSB will be able to do the direct financing. that bill should be ready for a committee hearing in a week or two.
7
"Giving rich guys money to support filmmaking" is just another way of giving someone who invests in Oregon a return on their investment. Should we stop selling state and municipal bonds? Federal Savings bonds? Those give more back than you put in too. It just takes longer. But, its exactly the same concept. Incentivizing the funding of what govenment can do best through the sale of a investment vehicle.

TJ Civis
Civis Media Arts
Filmmaker/filmworker
8
This is simply a restatement of the press release from a "nonprofit" lobbying group that has been trying to kill the Oregon film production tax credit for several years.

I'm mystified why the board members of that lobbying group: http://www.ocpp.org/cgi-bin/display.cgi?pa…, including wealthy attorneys, accountants, small business owners, university professors, retired Port of Portland executives and educators with pensions are attacking the Oregon film industry, while they themselves have all been beneficiaries of state spending for years, directly or indirectly.

Should legislators fail to renew the program, I'm sure there will be plenty of independent filmmakers to make individually produced videos to suggest replacing those legislators in the next election. Those filmmakers make a just enough to survive working productions part time, with no benefits, no pensions, and lacking the job security of the OCCP board members and OCCP funders, probably the OCCP staff too!

There are plenty of dedicated revenue sources, such as the lottery, and earned income in agencies, like the OLCC, which the legislature could raid, just as they raided the Cultural Trust. Or if they want to penalize beneficiaries of the tax credit, they could simply raise the tax rate on dividends and incomes above $200,000, rather than killing the jobs of very low income artists, food service workers and small businesses who do the heavy lifting of the film production world.
9
Let's be honest. This program is all about celebrity, not about jobs. The rare movie or TV show will draw tourists to the filming location. Most of the time these productions have little impact on Oregon's economy.

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