In the US, the planned nationwide tax incentive for film and TV productions has taken a decisive step forward: on 24 September, the relevant bill, which Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalisation Act, tabled by Members of Congress from both parties.

The plan is to A 20 per cent tax credit on eligible US labour costs. The basic incentive may rise to up to 30 per cent under certain conditions. Eligible projects are expected to include, amongst others, feature films, TV pilots and series seasons with production costs exceeding one million dollars, provided that at least 75 per cent of the main shooting days take place in the USA. Also Post-production and VFX should be taken into account.

A factor of particular relevance to international competition between business locations is that the planned federal incentive in addition to the existing funding schemes in the individual federal states could be utilised. Further bonus credits are provided, amongst other things, for independent productions, filming in rural areas, and projects involving substantial production expenditure across several federal states.

This marks the first time a concrete proposal for a standardised, US-wide production incentive has been put forward. However, it remains to be seen whether the bill will pass through Congress. The proposers are aiming for it to be passed before the end of this year.