Letter to the House 2/26

Dear Honorable Representative,

Please restore the $60 million for film to the state budget bill!
The film & television industry has generated $1.2 billion for state coffers in the last 7 years!
Please do not pass a budget with this drastic cut in the film program.

The assumed "savings" of $25 million is a fraction of the $5.4 billion state budget.
This "savings" will drastically limit the number of productions per year.
There are other places to find this savings.

The State of NM MADE $66 million just in 2010.

In 2009 the state paid out $73 million in film tax credit.
In 2010 the state paid out $65 million in film tax credit.

Cutting the tax subsidy in half is CUTTING POTENTIAL STATE REVENUE IN HALF.

Please protect the annual film revenue for the state!
There are other ways to balance the budget.

SB 44 and SJM 15 were both passed in committee, as welcomed accountability and investigatory measures.
PLEASE ALLOW A FORMAL REVIEW OF THE PROGRAM BEFORE MAKING SUCH DRASTIC LIMITS.

PLEASE SEE LETTER FROM THE BERNALILLO COUNTY COMMISSION:



~~In the 2010, 19 productions spent $66 million on New Mexico crew, $9.6 office/studio rental, $11.4 million on equipment rentals, $3.8 million on food, $3.5 on construction, and $2 million on vehicle rentals.
~~There are 12,000 people directly or indirectly employed by the film and television industry.
~~There are more than 250 film-related business in the state.

New Mexico has made history in the last 8 years!
We have become one of the best places in the world for film and television production.
Albuqueruque has become the #1 city in the United States for film and television production.
The infrastructure is in place to maintain NM's status as a major production destination that it is.

I emphasize this not only as a motion picture employee and union member, but as life long resident of New Mexico.
As a location manager, I personally have paid out $4 million to local vendors and property owners.
This money supports New Mexicans, and support New Mexico.

Please restore the film production tax credit with a $60 million limit.