Local film industry happy with proposed foreign film tariff
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Over the weekend, the White House announced a potential new round of tariffs -- this time targeting the film industry. President Donald Trump is proposing a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States, citing both economic and national security concerns.
“I think it's great that the federal government is noticing that we're losing a lot of productions to overseas,” said Jennifer O’Neill, owner of Buffalo FilmWorks, a film production facility based in Buffalo.
On Sunday, Trump took to social media to share his concerns, posting: "The movie industry in America is dying," and reaffirming his desire to impose the steep tariff on foreign film productions.
"I'm not looking to hurt the industry, I'm looking to help the industry," Trump said, arguing that tax incentives offered by other countries to attract film productions pose a national security threat.
O’Neill, who has seen the effects of the industry’s shift firsthand, agrees that foreign incentives have drawn work away from the U.S.
“It's been a pretty big mass exodus over the past couple of years,” she said. “We have lost several jobs to the UK, Canada, Ireland. Productions that used to film here in the States are going overseas because of the tax incentives."
According to O’Neill, the greatest benefit of a return to U.S.-based productions would be job creation.
“There are hundreds of thousands of talented workers who are unemployed right now. We have highly-skilled laborers here in Buffalo who don’t want to go overseas to work. They want to be home with their kids at night. Bringing productions back will only help,” she said.
She also noted that New York, and Buffalo in particular, could become increasingly attractive to filmmakers, especially in light of enhanced state tax incentives.
“New York State has made a lot of really good changes recently to the tax credit. The changes in this year’s budget have made it one of the most competitive programs in the country,” said O’Neill. “And it’s been evident -- we’ve been receiving more calls.”
The state budget recently boosted film tax credits to $800 million. O’Neill noted that while Buffalo FilmWorks hosted just one major production over the past two years, they’ve already booked eight since January of this year.
As for the tariff proposal, many questions remain. It’s still unclear how such tariffs would be implemented or enforced. President Trump indicated he plans to meet with industry leaders in the coming days to ensure the plan works for all stakeholders.
Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.