Kansas City, MO – Another attempt is underway to restore a tax incentive plan in Missouri to drive film and tv production in the state. Two measures have been introduced by lawmakers in Jeff City during the current Missouri legislative session, but have yet to be voted on.
Tax incentives that once lured filmmakers to shoot their stories in Missouri ended in 2013 and were not renewed. Since then, numerous large film projects have gone elsewhere, according to Michelle Davidson, president of the Missouri Motion Media Association (MOMMA).
"And it’s frustrating, there was just a project called ‘Kansas City’ starring Sylvester Stallone," said Davidson. "And now that TV show is being filmed in Oklahoma and called ‘Tulsa King’."
Many viewers of the Netflix series Ozark chuckle slightly, knowing the story of the highly popular show is set in Missouri, but not filmed in the state. Instead, principal filming and production takes place in Georgia, a state which offers tremendous amounts of tax incentives for film production.
"Most of us see that Georgia peach at the end of Ozark or other shows set in Missouri and it’s frustrating, we want those stories to be filmed here," said Davidson.
Many states offer varying tax incentive packages to filmmakers, offering increasingly competitive incentives to lure productions away from other states. Missouri lost the Stallone project to Oklahoma, and Kansas City lost out on a recent season of Fargo, with a storyline set in Kansas City but filmed in Chicago.
The two bills introduced in Jeff City this 2022 legislative session have made it out of committee with bipartisan support. Davidson and others are hopeful this is the year lawmakers vote to restore the film tax incentive plan.
Senate Bill 732 “Show MO Act”: sponsored by state Sen. Denny Hoskins (R). House Bill 2106 “Show MO Act”: sponsored by state Rep. Kurtis Gregory (R).
It's an important economic development program and will make Missouri competitive for film and television work, said Davidson. The result, she says, is "millions of dollars of spent in our state, bringing jobs and workforce development in an expanding field."