Tax incentives “need to prove” local benefits, says Film i Vast exec

Tomas Eskilsson, head of Sweden’s Film i Väst Analysis, asked if film cash rebates and filming incentive schemes across Europe are doing enough to benefit local economies at an EFM talk called Public Film Funding at a Crossroads II on February 10.

He referred to the “massive amount of money pouring into the sector”, with film producers now able to access tax credits or rebates of up to 70% of eligible spend.

“What is the argument behind incentives? If this is about creating some kind of economical benefit, it would be enormously tough to prove that there are any economic benefits,” Eskilsson suggested. “If you stimulate a sector that is already running on very high speed and has capacity problems, the only thing you will achieve is inflation.”

Eskilsson linked the discussion with the fierce debate about “the over-production of films intended for a traditional distribution model”.

“If we have complaints with the streamers that they offer us too much content, why are we ourselves through our public systems creating a massive more even stronger over-production?”

Eskilsson clarified he wasn’t calling for incentives to be scrapped but argued that proof was now needed that “there is actually a benefit in incentive systems that are too generous.”