It could be lights, camera, action all over again in Michigan after another go at bringing film and TV incentives has been introduced in Lansing with at least some bipartisan support.
During the height of Michigan’s first try at incentives for movies and TV, major Hollywood productions were filmed here.
“For the SAG-AFTRA members, they were working all the time, and they were getting auditions every single week,” said Michigan SAG-AFTRA President Erik Wyrda.
The incentives lasted from 2008-2015 and were eventually capped, but in the beginning, much money was being directly paid to Hollywood to come to Detroit.
According to an analysis from the Senate Fiscal Agency, the math wasn’t working in favor of Michigan taxpayers.
For example, in 2010, the state paid out $100 million in incentives but only realized $60 million in economic impact. Each job directly created by the incentives costs taxpayers $186,518. So they were capped and ultimately were dissolved.
New bills in the state house and Senate are being proposed to reinstate an incentive but structurally change it.
Instead of writing checks, it would be a transferable tax credit that would be capped and require defined spending levels by film and TV studios before receiving any credit.
So far, it’s got bipartisan sponsorship in the House but not the Senate.
State Rep. Jason Hoskins/D Southfield is one of the bill sponsors. He says economic analysis of the bills is ongoing.
“There are so many states and cities doing programs like this,” said Hoskins. “Right now Michigan is not competing, those places are eating our lunch and taking our talent.”
