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Arizona lawmakers just don’t get that excited about having movie stars in Arizona.

Over the last three years, state lawmakers and Gov. Jan Brewer have knocked down various efforts to restore the state’s tax credit for movie and TV production in Arizona, which was in place from July 2005 until it sunset in 2010. Critics of the legislation say that it puts government in the business of picking winners and losers.

State Sen. Al Melvin is taking another whack at bringing back the tax-incentive program as the primary sponsor of SB 1242.

If the bill passes, it will set allocate $70 million in tax credits to benefit production companies filming in Arizona, provided they meet certain qualifications. To receive the credit, the studio must submit specific details of the production (such as relevant members of the cast, crew, and a script or synopsis of the film) and must spend at leas $250,000 here in Arizona to be eligible to get cash back.

Melvin introduced SB 1242 yesterday. He argues that the bill could create hundreds of high-wage jobs connected to movie, advertising and TV production. That would, in turn, stimulate other areas of the state’s economy, including the tourism, construction and the hospitality sectors.

“It just makes a lot of sense that we would level the playing field between ourselves, New Mexico and some other states,” Melvin told KVOA in December.

Tucson Film Office Director Shelli Hall has put together a list of “10 Reasons Arizona Needs a New Film Incentive,” which lays out economic arguments that might be more persuasive than just asking lawmakers to throw money at those no-good, immoral Hollywood types.

This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2013.

7 replies on “Sen. Al Melvin Introduces Film Incentitives Bill”

  1. Good grief and perish forbid, a positive report about something Melvin has done, in the Tucson Weekly???? I sincerely hope that you guys won’t fire Kate Newton over this obvious breach of your unbroken until now liberal obsession.

  2. I love Al Melvin and actually he’s one of our best State Senators but the only thing Hollywood needs to know about filming in Arizona is out gas price. I have an original production to be filmed this year from Sierra Vista to Zion National Park but am also heading into Southern California to film at the Imperial Sand Dunes to Kitchen Creek to Mount Laguna to the Pacific Coastline. Hollywood needs to reciprocate by realizing how awesome Arizona is ad a place to film. Without tax breaks.

  4. Is it any surprise that the state that is the lowest in funding education has the most idiots in their legislature?

  5. Al Melvin is a person whom I would never label as sensible, but I have to admit that this isn’t such a bad idea. The $70 million part may be a bit too much though. Also, saying that he is one of Arizona’s best senators is QUITE a stretch.

  6. Something that doesn’t get reported on is that a production company, from anywhere, gets NOTHING until they PAY their tax bill. So they get 20% back from something the state didn’t have in the first place and where do you think the other 80% goes. There are more people that benefit from a major production than “Hollywood”. Those people have to stay somewhere, eat somewhere, rent equipment, use fuel, purchase supplies all that comes from somewhere and someone has to supply it and they hire people,with families, to carry out business. If that isn’t “trickle down” then I missed what the Great Communicator was selling.

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