President Trump recently floated a controversial idea: a 100% tariff on ‘“any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands.” The proposal was quickly retracted after swift backlash from labor unions, Hollywood groups, and advisors, who warned such a policy would backfire economically by isolating U.S. film and TV productions.
Florida’s film industry, which is already lagging behind tax-friendly states and countries, would have suffered further under Trump’s proposed film tariffs — it would “ripple in a negative way,” said Sandy Lighterman, Broward County’s film commissioner.
But the controversial proposal brought a silver lining.
Lighterman, who is also the President of Film Florida — a statewide nonprofit trade group — told WLRN the debate has reignited “positive,” long-awaited talks among film agencies and industry figures on how to implement broader, nationwide tax incentives to attract productions.
“The way to do that is with a federal incentive,” Lighterman said. “ That shockwave became a really good thing because we have all been talking about federal incentive for a long time."
“We have no federal incentive, while other countries offer 30 to 40% back," she added.
England offers a 40% film tax incentive; Germany recently increased its funding to 30%, up from its 20% rate.
In the U.S, discussion around the administration and production insiders includes a 10% transferable federal tax credit for states that already offer their own incentives, and a 20% incentive for states like Florida that currently lack one.
Lighterman is also calling for a federal film office to serve as a communication liaison, streamlining business exchanges, from location scouting assistance to deal-making.
Since many U.S. film production companies shoot overseas to save costs, strong federal, state and local film incentives could level the field and bring jobs and productions back.
Case in point: Florida’s film and television industry has long trailed behind production hotspots like Canada and Georgia. Unlike Florida, which lacks a statewide tax incentive, Georgia offers a generous 30% tax credit that has attracted major productions like Marvel films and TV series like Stranger Things.
READ MORE: Can Florida’s lagging film industry attract big-budget movies and TV again?
And while counties like Broward offer cash rebates, which “saw a 164% production boost” after expanding its rebate program, these offers pale in comparison to what other countries or states like Georgia provide.
Without strong statewide tax breaks, many of the shoots for productions that are set in Florida often take place outside the state, which costs local jobs and hurts businesses — from film crews to caterers, hotels and other small companies that rely on production dollars.
Even for “ a small movie that comes in, that’s a half a million dollars" they may contribute to the economy over a span of a couple of weeks, Lighterman said. “That's pretty significant in a small area."
“Now multiply that by $10 million. So $10 million over like a three month period. You're dropping significant amounts of money into an area.”
Debate is welcome, tariffs less so
Real, sustainable growth relies on landing big-budget film projects and long-term TV series that attract sustainable jobs, which is something tariffs wouldn’t be able to deliver, she explained.
Palm Beach County commissioner Michelle Hillery, who is currently at Cannes Film Festival promoting Florida to global producers alongside Lighterman, told WLRN she’s “thrilled the President of the United States has recognized the need to do something to help keep production in the USA.”
“Way too many productions are filming abroad for competing incentives. I hope we can find ways to keep those hard-working professionals here at home, able to support their families," she said.
Palm Beach County’s film commission runs a sponsorship program that supports 160 local production companies, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars from production expenditures.
Lighterman said a tariff on the film industry would likely trigger global retaliation, dissuading foreign crew members from working stateside and damaging cross-border creative exchange.
A letter to Trump by a film and TV coalition made up of unions and guilds representing nearly 400,000 creative workers, labor unions and high-profile industry figures — including Trumps's 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone — argue that federal tax support, not tariffs, is the key to reviving U.S. film production.
The coalition’s letter focused on changes to key sections of the Internal Revenue Code, including reviving a 15% corporate tax rate for domestic film production, doubling deduction caps, among other subsidized, cost-saving measures.
Film and TV industry leaders are pushing for these priorities to be placed in the congressional reconciliation package now being drafted.
"These potent tax measures would immediately make America more competitive, expand the American media industry, bring jobs back to America, and support the independent spirit of American business,” the letter states.
Industry experts say the odds of a nationwide federal incentive program are slim, but the conversation is expected to stay in play for now.
