Trump film tariff takes aim at Hollywood North
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside the country, which could impact B.C.'s multi-billion dollar film and television industry.
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Trump's 4 p.m. post on his social network Truth Social stated 'other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States.'
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He said this was hurting Hollywood and in general the U.S. film production industry, making it a 'National Security threat.'
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'The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,' Trump wrote.
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It was not detailed how films would be valued for tariff collection purposes. Many films from Hollywood studios involve global production, including shooting locations in foreign countries and post-production work that can be done in the U.S. or overseas.
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In 2023, the provincial government provided a $900 million subsidy to film and television productions — of which 80 per cent was for foreign productions.
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'Film production in B.C. has taken a big hit over the last few years, responding to significant impacts from the pandemic, several labour disruptions and changes to industry practices,' Eby said at the time. 'We're boosting tax incentives — and our competitive advantage — to ensure that our province remains a destination of choice for filmmakers in Canada and around the world, employing skilled British Columbian crews.'
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Creative B.C., formerly the B.C. Film Commission, is a provincial government agency that manages the industry and reports that television, not film, makes up the bulk of foreign productions. This includes the HBO adaptation of the Last of Us — which is scheduled to resume work in B.C. in October.
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Film and television production in B.C. in 2023 was valued at $2.3 billion, down from $3.3 billion in 2022. This was due mostly to a 32 per cent drop in foreign production due to the impact of the 2023 Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes.
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