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MD threatens to seize ‘House of Cards’ property if filming leaves the state


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Big Al: " also unmentioned is why that is important  "

of course it is significant, even noteworthy, though certainly not surprising.

I, too, dislike politicians, generally, and Democrats and Republicans, specifically.  there are, of course, REAL, SIGNIFICANT PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES...

I also note that the Democrats in California have just lost their super-majority in the legislature, as at least three "members", have been busted by the Feds....

one of the most anti-second amendment state senators, of course a Democrat, is charged with illegal trafficking in the firearms he pushed hard to make illegal!

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The whole eminent domain aspect to this debate reminds me of what keeps production and investments out of Mexico as well as 3rd world countries. I remember doing the math on how to pull off a career between the US and Venezuela in the 90's and even as a complete lefty, see the devastation to infrastructure and economy that happens when states pursue nationalization/absorbing corporate assets.

Good luck with that Maryland.

 

The whole incentive debacle is so ripe for political regime revision and politicians posing as the big guy and "standing up to Hollywood" that I'd honestly be surprised if studios really invested much. Keeping nimble, renting offices and warehouses as stages isn't really a big investment of capital seems to be where they are now. Some are actually starting to plant roots but I'd be surprised to see much movement from the top there. No execs want to live in Atlanta so they'll keep the mothership somewhere else and play the states against each other from a distance without risking losses.

 

Scott

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Sorry, Jim. I only know the impact it has on my business, my friends and colleagues and the health of our local. My viewpoint is obviously biased, as I said a couple of posts ago.

 

No worries. Economic impact reports aren't your job. But if anyone here has seen a good analysis, I'd love to know about it...

 

 

The issue here at least for me is the response from the legislature. C. William Frick is chairman of the Revenues Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee and is known by his colleagues as "The Stud of the Statehouse," with ambitions to higher office. Frick was appointed to the legislature in 2007 to fill the term of a retiring member of the state assembly and has only stood for reelection once. He was appointed by the governor who refused to propose refunding production tax credits after being portrayed in an unfavorable light in a program on HBO, for what that's worth. The amendment Frick offered (adopted on a voice vote, by the way) paves the way for the state to seize all the assets of any company that has ever been given any tax subsidy for pretty much any reason at any time. As a resident of Maryland for 50+ of my 61 years and a homeowner in the state and spouse of a local government employee in Maryland, that's bad.

Best regards,

Jim

 

My reading of the amendment suggests that it's limited to production companies in Maryland who have received more than $10M in tax credits. I don't think (but don't know) it applies to subcontractors who don't directly receive tax credits.

 

But like you suggest (I think), Frick's being a blowhard (ie- being a politician). Maybe he's worried about the upcoming elections and is angling for a role on HoC season three?

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Frick's amendment is narrowly drawn, pointed directly at a single company without naming names. That doesn't make it a good idea and it paves the way to such tactics being used again even though a strikingly similar measure failed back in 1984. I've mentioned Frick's reference to the Colts' move to Indianapolis as one justification for his amendment (he was 10 at the time, BTW). 

 

I don't know if Frick's angling for a role in season three but i am concerned that he and many other Maryland politicians talk (out loud, mind you) about the characters on HoC as though they are real people.

Best regards,

Jim

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Well, the package of incentives failed to pass. There was $18.5 million available but in a last-minute vote, the legislature only authorized spending $15 million.

Best regards,
Jim

 

Erin CoxThe Baltimore Sun

12:31 a.m. EDTApril 8, 2014

 

The potential pool of cash available for the film industry shrank by $3.5 million in the final minutes of the General Assembly session, leaving lawmakers asking: Is $15 million enough for "House of Cards" to stay?

The Netflix political thriller, which filmed some of its second season in the Maryland State House, received more than $26 million in taxpayer money over the past two years to film in the state. When the O'Malley administration offered only $4 million in tax incentives for filming this year, the production company pushed back filming for its third season and threatened to break down its sets and move elsewhere.

Lawmakers' disagreement over how much to give the industry -  and whether to put conditions on the money - lingered until minutes before the General Assembly adjourned at midnight. With just 15 minutes remaining, six powerful lawmakers argued forcefully in the lounge of the House of Delegates over whether giving state officials the option to revoke promised tax credits would scare off film companies.

"We're losing hundreds of millions of dollars in business," Sen. Verna L. Jones-Rodwell, a Baltimore Democrat, argued to House colleagues who refused to back down on the conditions. 

If the bill with the provisions did not pass before midnight, the budget only allowed state officials to spend $15 million on film incentives instead of the $18.5 million that was available.

"Is this language worth keeping $3.5 million?" asked Del. Frank S. Turner, a Howard County Democrat and vice chair of the House Ways and Means committee.

The lounge summit broke up without a deal, and although senators were scrambling back onto the House floor with mere seconds left on the clock to reach a deal, delegates said the senators' offer was neither a concession nor a compromise.

“I don’t know what it was all about," said Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, chair of the Budget and Tax Committee and a Howard County Democrat. "It’s unfortunate. I think it’s a good program. It seems to be working well, creating jobs, money’s being spent.   I’m not sure what the House’s (problem) was.”

House Speaker Michael E. Busch said afterward that delegates thought the state was too "permissive" with how easily tax credits could be distributed.

"Our goal is to provide tax credits regardless of whether any individual production company stays or not," Busch said. "There's no guarantee that even if we passed $18 million that they'd stay."

Baltimore Sun reporters Timothy B. Wheeler and Michael Dresser contributed to this article.

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