Actor Jon Voight, along with his manager, Steven Paul, plan to present ideas to President Trump as early as next week in order to help increase film and TV production in the United States.
Ideas Voight plans to propose may include infrastructure incentives, tax code changes and job training, all while exceeding tax credits that states usually offer.
“It's important that we compete with what's going on around the world, so there needs to be some sort of federal tax incentives,” Paul said.
In January, Trump named Voight as a special ambassador to Hollywood, alongside fellow actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone.
Trump referred to Hollywood as a “great but very troubled place.”
Currently, states compete with generous tax credits in order to lure film productions. The group wants national initiatives to help the U.S. win business over other countries, Paul added.
U.S. film and TV studios have cut back production while other countries use tax incentives to lure business. For example, the industry has been doing very well in the U.K., Spain, Hungary and Australia in recent years.
Voight's group has already met with union representatives, state officials, and studio executives, according to Scott Karol, the president of Paul's company, SP Media Group.
One potential suggestion would be adjusting Section 181 of the U.S. tax code, which allows accelerated deductions for film and TV production, to make sure it doesn’t expire this year. Its current limit of $15 million per production could be raised as well. Another possibility would be giving tax incentives to companies making long-term commitments, such as building sound stages, for example.
The plans include moving three new movies to California from other countries and investing in a studio property in Los Angeles, according to Paul.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member