Steven Paul Urges Congress to Pass Film and TV Tax Credit Before Year’s End

Film producer Steven Paul is pressing lawmakers to move quickly on a federal film and television tax credit, saying the proposal must be completed before the end of the year if the industry is to plan ahead. Paul made the case during a panel at the American Film Market, where supporters discussed the bill’s prospects in a lame-duck session of Congress. “We have to get this accomplished before the end of the year,” Paul said, according to Deadline, adding that passage would allow the industry to begin planning for 2027. The proposal is intended to encourage more production in the United States, as advocates argue that a declining share of American film projects are being shot domestically. The panel also included SP Media COO Scott Karol, who said the measure would function as a jobs bill and cautioned that productions could be affected if lawmakers failed to act. Motion Picture Association executive Josh Rogin said funding connected to the proposal runs out on December 11 and argued that the opportunity to advance it could be difficult to replicate later. As described at the event, the proposed incentive would begin at 20% of eligible labor costs, with possible additional credits for qualifying independent productions, filming in certain rural or disaster-affected areas, working across multiple jurisdictions, or bringing production back to the United States after shooting abroad. The article notes that the proposed credit would apply to a production’s federal income tax rather than operate as a rebate. Supporters said the bill had 50 co-sponsors, while Rogin acknowledged its language could still change. He called for lawmakers from both parties to make it a priority. Paul’s message was direct: supporters want Congress to act before the calendar runs out, arguing that the incentive could help give domestic production a stronger footing.