In my full-time job, I work as a Production Accountant, at Arcadia Entertainment in Halifax, NS. My position and many other film jobs in Nova Scotia rely on the financing of our productions, to stay employed. Financing for film and television comes from many sources, but arguably the most important is the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit. Our Liberal government made a promise to maintain our Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit for 5 more years!
This financing source is now in jeopardy and so is our entire industry in Nova Scotia, because our current Minister of Finance, Diana Whalen, has an agenda to reduce, or eliminate, the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit. (She won’t tell us what the changes are until April 9th when the budget is released!) DON’T STOP READING! I know this might sound unimportant to some of you – why should you care about this? Well let me tell you.
The Film and Television Industry in Nova Scotia contributes to:
More than 2000 jobs!
104 Companies
4 Guilds
3 Film Schools
More than 100 MILLION in direct spending annually in the Province, not including spin offs!
Countless hours of film and television have been produced in Nova Scotia with the help of the NS Tax Credit including:
Book of Negros, The Trailer Park Boys, Lizzie Borden
Hope for Wildlife, Mr. D, Haven, Battle of Kings: Bannockburn 1314
This Hour has 22 Minutes, Relative Happiness, Call Me Fitz
Watch to learn more about the people and work that this industry creates!
Some facts you might not be aware of:
1) Only NS companies – companies that do indeed pay taxes in NS – are eligible to apply for the tax credit.
2) The tax credit is ONLY applicable to the NS permanent residents that are hired to work on the production.
3) Tax credit money is NOT profit. It does NOT go into producers pockets. It does NOT leave the province. The reason why it is not used to pay down taxes owed (as the Minister of Finance suggested) is that it is in fact REINVESTED back into each and every project. It is used to leverage foreign investment – often four to five times the same amount – and then goes directly to helping pay for local labour and services required to make the thing in the first place.
I hope you are convinced that our province needs to work together to keep the film and television industry successful, in Nova Scotia. If the Nova Scotia Tax Credit is eliminated, or significantly reduced, the industry will cease to exist. Don’t believe me? Read this article about what happened in Saskatchewan when they cut their film tax credit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/chamber-says-cutting-film-tax-credit-was-a-mistake-1.1180710
Ready to help?
Sign the PETITION.
If you live in Nova Scotia PLEASE write an email to, or call, your MLA.
Share about the issue on social media. Re-tweet any tweets with the hashtags #NSFilmJobs and #SupportNSFilm especially any that include @dianawhalenNS @StephenMcNeil and @NSLiberal.
Done, done, and done.
How sad that this could be a thing of the past!