Some Ohio legislators yell ‘cut’ to Hollywood tax deals

CINCINNATI – Some Ohio legislators are challenging a 10-year-old program aimed at luring filmmaking to the Buckeye State with a tax credit incentive offering up to 30 per cent rebates for production cast and crew wages and other in-state spending.

The credit has been worth millions to blockbusters such as Marvel’s Avengers and Captain America movies, but critics say tax breaks should go to ordinary Ohioans.

House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican from Glenford, questions why the state should be giving inducements to Hollywood.

Both the conservative Buckeye Institute and left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio have analyzed the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit and found it lacking major economic benefits for Ohioans.

However, regional film commission officials say economic impact studies have shown the state reaps a return of nearly $2 on a dollar.