Arizona lawmakers looking to woo Hollywood are flirting with resurrecting a tax incentives program aimed at competing with New Mexico and other states that have long thrown free cash at production companies that film there.
A Senate committee unanimously approved the bill on multimedia production tax credits Wednesday after local film and tourism leaders argued Arizona would lose jobs if it didn’t do more to lure Hollywood to the state.
Critics point out a tax incentive program for production companies passed in 2005 was deemed a financial disaster in a 2009 report conducted by the Arizona Department of Commerce. The program expired in 2010.
The Arizona Film Office estimates more than 9,000 jobs in Arizona are generated by the film and television industry.
