House creates television-production tax credit program with $42 million annual cap

House Bill 1880, presented on the Ways and Means calendar, establishes a new tax credit program to incentivize television series production in Mississippi. Sponsors described the program as parallel to the state's film incentives, tailored to TV-series producers who commit significant in-state spending.

Key provisions disclosed on the floor include: - Minimum Mississippi production spending: $4,000,000 per production. - In-state run-time threshold: at least 65% of the content’s run time must be produced in Mississippi. - Credit rates: a 25% credit on qualified expenses generally; enhanced credits for resident employees (30%) and a 20% credit for nonresident employees. The sponsor enumerated caps tied to resident-employee credits and a $3,000,000 per-employee ceiling referenced for calculations. - Aggregate cap: $42,000,000 per year across all applicants. - Carry-forward: a 10-year carry-forward option was included; productions could elect a 75% rebate alternative in place of the credit.

The chairman explained a retroactive effective date of Jan. 1, 2025, to allow productions that already began qualifying expenditures earlier in the year to participate. The bill drew questions about whether it applied to films (sponsor said it was for television only; an existing film incentive remains unchanged). After Q&A, the House recorded final passage; the transcript shows the vote as recorded 116–3.

Ending: The new program will require implementing rules and administrative procedures from the state agency overseeing tax credits; producers and local stakeholders will likely seek guidance on compliance and certification.