Film Unions React to Trump’s Foreign-Film Tariffs

President Trump shared over the weekend that he wanted to implement a “100% tariff on foreign films,” and he might’ve been influenced by actor and “special Hollywood ambassador” Jon Voight. The New York Times reports that Voight and his manager, Steven Paul, met with Trump to present a plan with federal-tax incentives for productions in the United States. “Many Americans have lost jobs to productions that have gone overseas. I have brought forward recommendations to the President for certain tax provisions that can help the industry, some provisions that could be extended and others that could be revived or instituted,” Voight shared in a video posted by Variety. “This would help the movie and television production and our beloved theaters that are so important to the American family experience.”

While major film and TV unions did not explicitly endorse Trump’s message, they agreed with the sentiment that more production work needs to be done in the U.S. IATSE, the film union that represents production workers, released a statement supporting the belief that more productions should film in the States while not “disadvantaging” Canadian productions, which have greatly impacted the American industry. “The United States needs a balanced federal response to return film and television jobs,” IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb said. “IATSE recommended that the Trump administration implement a federal film production tax incentive and other domestic tax provisions to level the playing field for American workers. We await further information on the administration’s proposed tariff plan, but we continue to stand firm in our conviction that any eventual trade policy must do no harm to our Canadian members — nor the industry overall. We seek reciprocal trade practices that ensure fair competition for all IATSE members.”

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors onscreen, had a much shorter response to the president’s pitch. SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland wrote, “SAG-AFTRA supports efforts to increase movie, television and streaming production in the United States. We will continue to advocate for policies that strengthen our competitive position, accelerate economic growth and create good middle class jobs for American workers. We look forward to learning more about the specifics of the plan announced by the President and to advancing a dialogue to achieve our common goals.”

Bringing more production back to the States has been on lawmakers’ minds for a while now. Last October, California governor Gavin Newsom proposed doubling the tax-credit incentive for productions filmed in the state. In response to Trump’s plan, a representative for Newsom told The Wrap, “[Newsom’s] plan to more than double the state’s film and television tax credit reflects a commitment to keeping production here at home, supporting workers and maintaining California’s global leadership in entertainment … If the President announces a proposal with more details, we will review it.”

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