Chicago, IL—All of America’s big cities are exclusively run
by, Democrats. They never met a tax they
did not love and in fact they have strangled their local businesses to
death. Big city taxpayers and businesses
flee by the droves or simply fall under the weight of taxation from every possible
direction.
Big city taxes are job killers and that of course takes even
more revenue from city treasuries.
Detroit is the poster child for a city that has taxed itself to
death. Cities in California are now filing
bankruptcy one after another. Inept and
corrupt politicians are everywhere.
A reverse tax is needed to draw productivity and life back
to the cities. A reverse tax is simply payments
or grants for businesses to create new life, business and jobs.
A simple revenue-generating program needs to begin for the
motion picture business. Perhaps it’s
time to look at Europe, specifically Germany in this regard. This is where I got the inspiration to write
this article.
I’m involved in the making of a feature film right now that
should be and could be made in the USA. However
first I need investors or funds from every direction and I need a lot of
them. Films are considered risky investments. I was able to find no less than $9 million
in the form of a government cash grant; yes that’s a grant not a loan! It’s coming from the German government!
That’s about half of the total budget of what’s considered a low budget film! Once I have half lined up it is so much
easier to get the second half!
The only requirement to get the money is that 25% of the
filming must occur in Germany under the care of a German film producer. More than 75% of the film I’m involved currently
with can be made in Germany with ease!
Germany hands out the grants because they learned the grants generate
badly needed jobs and revenue!
Take Chicago and filmmaking.
Chicago invites filmmakers to the Windy City and proceeds to offer them
all kinds of cooperation for a very hefty price. Films are being made but not nearly
enough. State and local governments
nickel and dime filmmakers to death from every form of permit fees and
regressive taxation. Making a film in
Chicago is expensive and running off to film friendly Canada to fake Chicago is
always an attractive alternative.
Germany on the other hand has done the math and found that
these generous grants pay off well. The
returns on job generation, and money spent by filmmakers brings big returns to
government coffers.
Chicago is in unique position to attract filmmakers because
it’s a terrific film location. It has every kind of weather; massive parks, the
lake, and huge vacant buildings that can be easily converted into sound
stages. If Germany can get the return on
the investment, why can’t Chicago?
Mayor Emanuel’s brother, Ari Emanuel is probably the most
powerful man in Hollywood right now. He
runs Endeavor, William Morris , the largest talent agency in the world. The talent agencies, not the studios call the
all the shots on American films.
If the City of Chicago partnered with filmmakers it would be
both lucrative and fun for everyone.
They need to somehow learn how to follow the German model.
If the Emanuel brothers got serious with this window of
opportunity they could bring billions to the Windy City and get great films and
TV series made that would never otherwise see the light of day.
By comparison California never figured out how to be film
friendly and have lost hundreds of billions to Canada over the decades. They call that phenomenon runaway
production. For example anything beyond making
a home birthday party movie requires a minimum $1000.00 film permit in Los
Angeles.
No budget producers like me must resort to guerilla
filmmaking. Our crews have to keep a
sharp eye out for the cops as we set up, shoot and scoot before they can stop
us. Perhaps lowering the fees and
bureaucracy could be a good start.
The Great film director Werner Herzog learned long ago to
not let government get in the way of his art.
Herzog goes so far as to suggest to his students that they forge film
permits! Perhaps local government paying
the filmmakers instead of extorting from them might induce new life and
business.
If this works for Chicago they can do the same for any
industry they want to attract. Imagine a
city that pays productive people and their businesses to stay and produce!
