Post Effects’ president Mike Fayette responds to last week’s editorial questioning the need for new stages and attorneys’ Bob Labate and Kristen Fligel’s clear explanation of the sunset wage tax credit bill.
IN TWO ARTICLES, you skewered the false promises of our new governor and the well-meaning idiots who believed that “government” can somehow solve the problems of the communications industry in Chicago.
As you point out, their primary activity has been to:
1) Promote an Illinois tax credit that cannot be used by ANY out-of-state production companies (they don’t pay Illinois taxes anyway);
2) Promote an Illinois tax credit that cannot be used by any existing Illinois production or postproduction company (too many restrictions and too much fine print);
3) Promote a discussion of building or purchasing a “new” Illinois studio complex while ignoring the reality that there is simply no business at all for the one major studio complex that we’ve already got.
The truth is that I’m not even sure that the state should get into that business anyway. If so, then wouldn’t they like to own post house, too? Or a music shop? Or how about an Internet cafe? It all makes about as much sense to me ? which is NONE.
4) And finally – most bizarrely, our government has ENDED a sales tax exemption program on new equipment purchases just at the moment when the industry must upgrade to HDTV.
The state is RAISING taxes on our industry – not lowering it!
Thanks a lot, governor. If we need any more help, we’ll give you a call.
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