San Francisco supervisor proposes boost to city’s film and TV tax incentive

by

A San Francisco city official has suggested expanding the tax breaks for movies and TV shows to attract more filming to the area.

On Tuesday, Board President Rafael Mandelman proposed a new plan that would offer rebates based on how much businesses spend locally – specifically on things like salaries for San Francisco residents, services, and goods.

Productions that qualify could get a refund of 10% on local spending up to $1 million. If a project spends more than $1 million locally, it could receive a 20% refund instead.

Hollywood Inc.

Hollywood professionals at every level are uniting to advocate for changes to California’s tax incentives for film and television. However, given the state’s current budget challenges, it’s uncertain whether their efforts will succeed.

San Francisco needs to remain competitive with other cities and counties in California when it comes to attracting film projects, according to Supervisor Mandelman. He believes improving the city’s film tax credit program will help keep production jobs local and prevent filmmakers from choosing other locations.

The legislation is expected to go to a committee hearing next month.

Supervisor Connie Chan, who is helping to introduce new legislation, says San Francisco’s film and television production incentive program, created in 2006, hasn’t been used as much as it could be.

In a recent statement, she voiced her support for the updated legislation, explaining it will help the program achieve its original goals and provide intended benefits. She anticipates the film rebate program will create many jobs, attract visitors by showcasing the city in films, and generate increased sales tax revenue through film industry spending.

San Francisco is offering incentives to filmmakers five months after California expanded its film and TV tax credit program. The goal of both efforts is to keep production from moving to other states or countries where costs might be lower.

California has increased funding for the program to $750 million per year, a significant rise from the previous $330 million. Lawmakers also expanded the program to include a wider range of productions that can qualify for the funding.

Since then, over thirty-six television shows—including a new version of “Baywatch”—and fifty-two movies have received tax credits.

Read More

2025-12-11 02:03