Ohio budget proposal calls for $40M in aid, tax breaks to filmmakers

Associated Press

DAYTON

An Ohio legislative proposal could double down on tax breaks for filmmakers as other states back away from such incentives.

The Dayton Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/2r1tBy4 ) the nearly $64 billion, two-year state operating budget being debated in the Ohio Senate calls for a $40 million package of tax breaks and subsidies for making movies in Ohio.

A 2016 study by the University of Cincinnati Economics Center estimates the film industry created a $54 million economic impact in Cincinnati over a two-year period. The study also highlights the nearly 9,000 jobs created since 2014.

University of Tennessee professor Matthew Murray says film tax credits are only good for short term economic effects and don’t build deep supply chains.

Several states have ended their film incentive programs since 2009.