Jon Voight's Plan To Save Hollywood Includes Tax Credits, Tariffs On Foreign Productions, An American Cultural Test, And Restructuring Of Licensing Deals
Actor Jon Voight announced that he had shared his plan to save Hollywood with President Donald Trump earlier this week and now specific details of the plan have been revealed.
In a short video post to social media, Voight, who is Trump’s Special Ambassador to Hollywood, shared, “I recently met with our President Donald Trump, who loves the entertainment and wants to see Hollywood thrive and make films bigger and greater than ever before as he says, and see productions come back to American Hollywood.”
“Our industry, recently, has suffered greatly over these past few years, and many Americans have lost jobs to productions that have gone overseas. It’s been very serious. People have lost their homes, can’t feed their families,” he continued. “After meeting with the entertainment leaders, I have brought forward recommendations to the President for certain tax provisions that can help the industry. Some provisions that can be extended and others that can be revived or instituted. This would help the move and television production and our beloved theaters that are so important to the American family experience.”
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A day before Jon Voight made this announcement and seemingly after meeting with Voight and his team, President Trump announced on Truth Social he was enacting a 100% tariff on foreign produced films.
President Trump wrote, “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.”
“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” he added. “It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
He then declared, “Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
As for the specifics of Voight’s plan, Deadline obtained the five-page plan and it begins by suggesting a “stackable, transferable federal tax credit” that in order to qualify productions have to have “at least 75% of the physical production and post production” taking place in the United States. They also must meet an American Cultural Test that is to be similar to the UK’s cultural test.
Next, the plan suggests the renewal and extension of a 100% year one tax write off if productions employs 75% US labor. However, it also wants to amend it so that it covers films with higher production budgets.
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Next, it calls for tariffs “equal to 120% of the value of the foreign incentive received” on productions that are produced in foreign lands that could have been produced in the United States.
It also wants to institute tax credits for construction and job training, building and updating theaters, production facilities, studios, post production facilities, VFX, and AI.
One of the biggest proposals the plan makes is a restructuring of licensing deals to benefit producers over streamers.
In fact, it seemingly wants to reinstitute a rule that prevents streaming companies from owning the productions they air.
From there it criticizes California’s current tax incentive structure for Hollywood.
Finally, it shows off the cultural requirements that the UK film industry requires that it wants to mirror to some degree.
What do you make of this proposal?
There's human feces on every block here in Hollywood.
I do like Trump and Voight doing what Democrats here will never do.
Hopefully some will see and maybe we can get law enforcement back on our streets... Guilliani style! Hopefully.
Bless his heart but he needs to “Thelma and Louise” Hollywood and let it drive off that cliff!
And then support small conservative independent media!