Jon Voight’s Hollywood Coalition Asks Trump to Consider Tax Incentives, Too

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As a passionate film enthusiast, I’m sharing that major Hollywood production companies and unions have enlisted Jon Voight as a “special advocate” to appeal to President Donald Trump. They’re asking him to support their proposal for increased tax breaks in relation to film and TV productions.

On Monday, Voight and several industry associations, such as the Motion Picture Association, production companies, and major labor unions, penned a letter to the president advocating for his backing of their initiatives aimed at incorporating tax benefits favorable to Hollywood into a legislative package currently being drafted in Congress.

The letter conspicuously failed to address tariffs, a point that Trump emphasized in his bold capitalized message on social media on May 4th.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this: I’m backing the idea that the package should breathe life into Section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code, which previously qualified film and TV productions for a tax break as part of “domestic manufacturing.” I stand firm in my support for Trump’s suggestion to lower the corporate tax rate to 15% for such domestic manufacturing work.

Industry participants have expressed a desire to broaden and intensify Section 181, an age-old provision that lets film and TV production costs up to a certain amount be tax-exempt. At present, the maximum deductible expenses are capped at $15 million, but these groups are advocating for a rise to $30 million. If productions take place in low-income or economically struggling areas, they’re requesting a possible increase to $40 million in exemptions.

As a gamer, I’d put it like this: “During the pandemic, I suggested bringing back Section 461, which allowed businesses, just like game development studios, to stretch their losses across five years. This was particularly helpful during tough times like the COVID-19 pandemic. I argued that film production companies, much like game developers facing the unpredictability of a project’s success, could greatly benefit from this rule. It would enable them to use profitable years to offset potential losses in the future, leading to more financial stability and resilience.

The letter appears to capitalize on a recent development, having been sent approximately a week after Trump announced his intention to impose 100% tariffs on foreign-produced films via his Truth Social platform. Although the White House subsequently clarified that no definitive decisions have been made, influential figures within the industry felt compelled to react swiftly in the days following this announcement.

Beginning on May 5th, Voight unveiled a comprehensive strategy aimed at revitalizing Hollywood, which he shared within the following days. This strategy was subsequently presented to President Trump, coinciding with one of his tweets about tariffs. The strategy, formulated after extensive talks with industry heavyweights, suggested tariffs under specific conditions, but also proposed tax breaks, modifications to the tax code, infrastructure grants, and bilateral production agreements.

(The sentence structure has been slightly altered for a more conversational tone, while maintaining the original meaning.)

Last Friday, studio executives held a meeting with Charles Rivkin, who serves as both the chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), to deliberate over the evolving predicament. As of now, the MPA has remained silent regarding the proposal of tariffs.

More to come.

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2025-05-12 22:54