JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tax credit program for filmmakers would be revived under a bill that has received initial approval in the House.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that lawmakers endorsed the measure Wednesday amid frustration over projects like the drama series “Ozark,” which is set in Missouri but filmed elsewhere.
The incentive program would give a 20% discount to qualifying in-state expenses and 10 percent of qualifying out-of state expenses. If a production is filmed at least half in Missouri, projects can receive an even greater reduction.
Republican Rep. Kathryn Swan, of Cape Girardeau, sponsored the legislation. She said that since the previous tax credit program expired in 2013, the state has been passed up for 10 studio projects, amounting to at least $150 million in economic impact.
