Vancouver: The proposed B.C. Refundable Investment Tax Credit offers local producers bonuses to spread production around the province and invest in job training, says the chair of an industry-led ad hoc committee struck this spring to oversee the initiative.

Alan Morinis, president of Vancouver’s Ark Films, says the nine-page bctc proposal was completed mid-month and has been sent to Cassie Doyle, deputy minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture.

The proposed bctc is designed to dovetail with the federal refundable tax credit program. It has, however, some features specific to the b.c. industry.

Specifically, it requires a b.c. producer and is applicable only for those productions that use 75% of their budgets (or 75% of the b.c. portion of coproductions) in the province. Like the federal program, the bctc refunds 15% of labor costs, which are capped at 48% of overall budgets.

Producers can gain an extra 2.5% by shooting or posting at least 50% of their budgets outside the Greater Vancouver area, which is an incentive to spread production and post-production around the province.

Yet another 2.5% can be collected by producers who use five qualified trainees or apprentices on the project, an incentive to invest in skills development.

Canadian content, meanwhile, is less stringent than other funding programs.

The bctc requires only six points to qualify, which Morinis says reflects the current difficulty b.c. filmmakers have in meeting the Cancon minimums of other programs.

Morinis says the proposed bctc – which has no hearing yet scheduled with Victoria – should be administered by British Columbia Film.

And when asked if he thought the bctc would fair better than the failed bcfip initiative, Morinis is positive. ‘(The bctc) is revenue neutral, he says. ‘Studies from Nova Scotia show that their tax credit increases production and employment but doesn’t cost government anything.’

He adds: ‘Now we just have to get it on people’s agendas. b.c. needs to be able to compete (with other tax credit-friendly) provinces on a level playing field.’

Members of the ad hoc group are Morinis, B.C. Council of Film Unions rep Tim Hiltz, Gastown’s Tom Locke, former B.C. Film commissioner Dianne Neufeld, current commissioner Pete Mitchell, the Royal Bank’s John Genzel, Forefront principal Helena Cynamon and Crescent Entertainment lawyer Karen Powell.