Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Hawaii Motion Picture Tax Credits? DoTax Making it up as they go Along
By Hawaii State Auditor @ 11:22 PM :: 5451 Views :: Tax Credits

Audit of Hawai‘i’s Motion Picture, Digital Media, and Film Production Income Tax Credit

Auditor’s Summary, Report No. 16-08

What problems did the audit work identify?

IN REPORT NO. 16-08, Audit of Hawai‘i’s Motion Picture, Digital Media, and Film Production Income Tax Credit, we found that insufficient administration of the film tax credit by the Department of Taxation (DoTAX) and the Hawai‘i Film Office has likely increased the cost of the credit while overstating the possible economic benefits that it provides to the State.

Why did these problems occur?

DOTAX HAS BROADENED THE SCOPE of the film tax credit by including out-of-state expenses as “qualified production costs.” That action is inconsistent with the plain language of the statute and the Legislature’s intent that the incentive would stimulate economic growth in Hawai‘i. For example, expenditures paid to out-of-state businesses and service providers do not infuse money into Hawai‘i’s economy or provide income for local residents; they do not create local jobs.

We also found that DoTAX has not adopted administrative rules needed to provide assurance that the film tax credits are sufficiently administered. Without such rules, tax credit qualifications are unclear, the film office does not have the administrative tools to enforce deadlines and other filing requirements, and there is no requirement that production costs be independently verified as qualifying for the tax credit. We have serious concerns about DoTAX’s extended delay in promulgating rules. It has been more than ten years since the current form of the film tax credit was enacted.

Although the film tax credit law has existed in its current form since 2006, DoTAX has yet to promulgate rules.

While we strongly recommend that DoTAX promulgate rules without further delay, we found a number of provisions in the most recent public version of the proposed rules that should be revised to provide greater assurance that the film tax credits are being managed in accordance and consistent with the statute’s intent.

We also found that the film office’s analysis of film tax credit data does not measure the incentive’s true costs and reports economic impacts that are based on incomplete and overstated data. For instance, it includes an unknown amount of out-of-state expenditures and wages paid to nonresidents, as well as inaccurate production expenditure data. For example, highly paid producers, directors, actors, and crew are often residents of other states. While they may spend some of their salary or wages in Hawai‘i, it is very unlikely that a significant percentage of their Hawai‘i earned income flows into the local economy. Including these salaries and other out-of-state expenditures in the calculation of benefits to the State significantly over-inflates the film tax credit’s economic impacts. Instead, the film office should report to the Legislature on the quality of the jobs generated by film productions. Currently, the film office collects this type of information from production companies applying for the tax credit, but it does not track or report on it.

Why do these problems matter?

THE FILM TAX CREDIT is set to sunset at the end of 2018, at which time the Legislature will need to decide whether the benefits of the program justify its continuing costs. Unfortunately, the film office cannot provide the Legislature with the relevant, accurate, and timely data necessary to make this determination.

read … Auditor’s Summary

read … FULL REPORT

Big Q: Should the state be providing tax credits to attract film and TV productions to Hawaii?

Remember This? Why Stop at $500K? DoTAX Quietly Multiplies Hawaii Solar Tax Credit

Remember This? Audit: State Gave Away $1B Act 221 Tax Credits Without Verification of Eligibility 

SA: Film tax credit abused, audit finds 

SA: Film Office Panics over Future of Tax Credit Giveaway

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT