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Motion-picture incentives deliver $4–6 in local activity per $1 awarded but return <35¢ in tax revenue, LFA finds

5670331 · August 20, 2025
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Summary

Legislative Fiscal Analyst and film commission data show motion‑picture incentives generate multiple dollars of local spending per dollar of incentive but recover only about 15–30¢ per dollar in tax receipts; committee discussion flagged program design choices and funding levels for rural incentives.

An Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA) review of Utah’s motion‑picture incentives found that productions receiving cash rebates or refundable tax credits typically generate about $4 to $6 in verified local economic activity for each dollar of incentive, and the state recovers roughly $0.15–$0.30 in tax revenue per dollar awarded.

Jared Gibbs, economist with the LFA, summarized the program’s structure and history: Utah has three principal incentive “pots” — a cash rebate account (established by House Bill 17 in 2005, with a $1 million…

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