No tax relief for B.C. producers

There was no good news in the recent B.C. budget for the province’s film and TV industry.

The production community has spent the past month lobbying Kevin Krueger, minister of tourism, culture and the arts, to bolster B.C.’s tax credit to level the playing field with the recently announced 25% all-spend rebates in Ontario and Quebec.

However, the budget did not include any measures to increase B.C.’s 35% labor-based tax credit.

While members of the industry had hoped for an announcement, they say the issue isn’t dead, but rather, it’s going to take a while longer to get government support for an expanded tax incentive, particularly since the province is facing the biggest deficit in its history.

‘When we met with the minister we told him the most advantageous time frame to have a solution was the end of August, for clients making decisions where they will shoot in the spring,’ says Liz Shorten of the B.C. Producers Branch of the CFTPA. ‘But the provincial government is facing incredible financial challenges in terms of the deficit, so it may take some time to find a solution that works for everyone,’ she adds, insisting ‘We are on their radar.’

In recent weeks, the B.C. film and TV sector has become increasingly concerned as the province began losing U.S. projects to Ontario. Local companies are also looking east. Vancouver producer Brightlight Pictures recently told Playback it is opening a Toronto office and moving its remake of The Saint TV series to either Toronto or Montreal.