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| Eric Griego |
Santa Fe, NM- With more than eleven thousand New Mexicans drawing a paycheck either directly or indirectly from the film industry, lawmakers feel more study must be done before the State's Film Tax Credits are abandoned. San Jose Senator, Phil A. Griego (D-Los Alamos, Mora, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos-39) just introduced a proposal to look at the impact the state's Film Tax Credit has on New Mexico workers. Senate Joint Memorial 15 asks the New Mexico Legislative Council to appoint an interim Film Investment Committee to review and analyze the state's Film Tax Credit. The Committee will look at the advantages and disadvantages and recommend legislation for any policy changes. "Let's hold off before we do anything and really study the issue, said Sen. Griego, "then make a determination, number one, whether 25 percent is too much and we have to go back to 15 percent."
The Senator says we need to look at whether the tax credit has had a positive or negative effect in New Mexico and whether we should even keep it at all. "We are not going to know those things until we have a full and complete study," said the Senator. Sen. Griego hopes with the committee, the Governor and Legislature can work together to study the effects of the Film Tax Credit and "where we are going." Senator Griego said many of his constituents have praised the Film Tax Credit for helping the state's economy, "I've heard from small businesses that have done well in working with the film credits. You've got travel agencies, caterers, car rental people, grocery stores, lumber stores. 
The Film Industry has helped the state's construction industry, said Sen. Griego, hiring people to build and take down sets, as well as electrical, plumbing guys. I think what we're going to find is that this film credit has had a very positive effect on New Mexico," said Griego. Senator Griego also says we also have to consider schools including both community colleges and charter schools that have created curricula to train people as producers, directors, and stage crafts workers. "I think we need to work with the industry to come up with a plan to as to how to continue film work in the state flowing, that is not only going to satisfy the state but satisfy the industry." The Senator said states across the country are pulling back on their film credit programs because of the economy, but what we want to do, is we want to lead the pack in attracting the film industry and then make a determination as to where we've got to go."
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1 comments:
I'm just dying to know the answer to a very simple question: Do the citizens of the State of New Mexico get MORE out of the jobs and economic activity the film industry brings to New Mexico than what we GIVE the film industry in TAX incentives. I know for a fact that the state of Maine conducted such a study and determined that the state realized 70 cents back for each dollar it sacrificed. THAT is NOT a good trade off. It'll be very interesting to know the answer to that very simple question. I certainly hope the methods used to calculate THIS math isn't akin to the math used which alleges humans cause global warming.
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