British Columbia Beefs Up Film Tax Credit Program
We’re in the thick of the battle of the location
destinations, and British Columbia isn’t going down without a fight. As we’ve
seen a year with significant shifts in the location landscape, this key
Canadian location has significantly improved its offerings. Brandon Blake, our entertainment
attorney Los Angeles from Blake & Wang P.A. shares the good
news.
Tax Rebate Jump
The new tax rebate for foreign projects shooting in the British Columbia area will now be 36%. It currently stands at 28%. Additionally, big-budget tentpole productions (expenditure over $200M) will be able to access a further 2% rebate.
British Columbia itself is a well-known destination for Hollywood productions, claiming up to 80% of local production spend, and has been seeing the ripple actions from the pandemic and strikes greatly impact it over recent years, with production down 36.5% in 2024. It’s hoped that this move will help to fortify the industry further, and continue to attract the high-volumes it has in previous years.
A Riposte to California?
California, which has itself been suffering an exodus of both projects and the crews needed to bring them to life, recently announced its intent to more than double the tax credits on offer in the state. It’s an attempt to reduce the amount of productions choosing to film outside of California, lured by better offerings in other states and internationally.
With the timing of this announcement, it’s hard not to see British Columbia's boost as a direct response to that challenge. The current fluctuations in currency rates will also help make the area look more compelling to Hollywood producers.
It seems the battle of the locations is only set to heat up further in 2025. Representing a significant shift in not only where, but also how, productions get made, this will be an area to watch carefully as we head into the new year.
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