Film Tax Credit Saved In Deep Budget Cuts
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- One item that was left untouched by Gov. Tom Corbett's deep budget cuts is Pennsylvania's film tax credit.
The governor says there was never even a thought to cut it, and that's good news for more than just local star-gazers.
"We were getting calls five seconds after it was mentioned that 'Hey, I hear that it's back in and everything is ok.' So, I think that everyone was kind of waiting to hear, and I think everybody starts talking; so I think it's a good message everything's the same," said Jessica Conner, the assistant director at the Pittsburgh Film Office.
Over the past three years, Pennsylvania's movie tax credit recipients generated $768 million in direct spending and $1.2 billion in economic activity, including materials used to build movie sets.
"It's nice to have business, and over the last couple of years, that was the business we had," said Dave Meyers, of Paul Lumber & Supply in Lawrenceville.
Paul Lumber, located at the foot of the Bloomfield Bridge, has been in business for decades. So, it's hard to imagine what might have happened if not for the movie tax credit.
"Since they started the film tax credit and more movies have been coming to town, there's been more action," said Meyers. "But after the economy tanked three years ago, over the last two years, it was nice to have business at a time when there wasn't a whole lot of business."
And leaving the tax credit in place was received with open arms at Paul Lumber.
"Some companies will say they have a lot of work right now coming up, and other companies will say they still don't have work," said Meyers. "So, it's a slow process for everything to get back on its feet. To now know that you might have three or four or five projects coming to town is a good thing for a lot of people."
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