State Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-42) applauded the recognition of short-series streaming shows in the Film Production Tax Credit included in the state’s 2021-2022 budget.
The tax credit will help producers apply the tax credits to multi-year productions, he said in a statement on Monday.
“Pittsburgh’s economy has benefitted tremendously by the growing film industry here, and that growth has been fueled by the tax credit,” Fontana said. “We still lag behind some states in providing incentives, but these changes will us keep up with changing audience preferences and evolving entertainment options.”
The tax credit program now includes a “Multifilm” category, which would allow productions from one to four years apply for tax credits in a single application. The change was made to attract more projects like Netflix’s “The Chair” and “Archive 81,” which were filmed in the Pittsburgh region. The area has become a more frequent location for filming since “Silence of the Lambs” was filmed there in 1989.
Fontana said the changes were good, but a larger tax credit would help create more jobs and more economic spinoff.
Currently, the state’s Film Production Tax Credit starts at $5 million and is capped at $70 million per year. The tax credit has helped more than 500 productions since 2007. In comparison, New York’s film tax credit allows $420 million in credits, while Georgia leads with $533 million.
“Pennsylvania’s diverse landscape and architecture make ideal film locations from an aesthetic point of view, but our support for the industry and the billions in economic benefit it brings has muted our advantage,” Fontana said. “There is a backlog of projects that want to come here but are daunted by the cost.”