Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Incentive was passed by state law in 2009 and sets aside a certain amount of taxpayer funds each year to pay rebates for making productions statewide.
Documentaries, feature films, commercials, interactive websites, video games and other film types are all eligible to apply as long as at least $300,000 is spent in the state, according to development services.
Over the last two years, the economic value of film productions in Greater Cincinnati has been pegged at about $54 million, according to a new report released Jan. 23 by University of Cincinnati Economics Center and the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Film Commission.
In exchange for bringing the work to Ohio, a qualified project is eligible to receive a refundable tax credit equal to 25 percent off costs spent in Ohio and non-resident wages, plus another 35 percent on wages paid to Ohio residents. If the refund exceeds the amount owed for taxes, the company gets the difference in cash to cover costs such as lodging. Each project is limited to receiving no more than $5 million, according to state officials.
Before the state writes a check, the project must be completed and financial statements must be audited to verify the spending met requirements.
Ohio has already committed all $20 million available for tax credits this budget year, which began July 1, to movie, television, commercial and other crews that have sought incentives to film in the state, according to Ohio Development Services Agency, the state department that runs the tax program.
To date, the Buckeye State has awarded over $56 million worth of tax credits and cash to about 61 production companies that have completed projects including “Captain America” in Cleveland, “Ides of March” in Oxford and “The Blunderer” in Cincinnati, according to development services. That figure does not including more films in the works and still due a payout such as “Funhouse Massacre” that filmed last year at Land of Illusion in Madison Twp., with almost 100 films approved for credits altogether since the program started.
See our database below for a list of all projects that applied for the tax credit program, provided by Ohio Development Services.
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