Today the state legislature voted to approve a bill (A5827/S4618) that would continue expanding the New Jersey film and digital media tax credit. This program provides subsidies directly to film studios to make movies and television programs in New Jersey, covering up to nearly half their costs. The bill would increase credit amounts for certain projects and loosen accountability requirements. In fiscal year 2026, even without these changes, this program is estimated to cost the state nearly $250 million.
In response, NJPP issues the following statement.
Peter Chen, Senior Policy Analyst, NJPP:
“Passing yet another expansion of the film tax credit program to subsidize Hollywood studios, at a time when low- and middle-income families are struggling with day-to-day costs, locks the state even further into an ever-more-expensive waste of money with no end in sight. With added bonuses, the state government will be subsidizing some productions at nearly half of their total expenses, all while the bill limits the state’s ability to get those credits back if the productions fail to deliver on their promises of economic growth.
“With the state running a structural deficit, lawmakers need to think about how to increase revenue to protect New Jerseyans from future cuts and recessions, not dream up new ways to give big corporations hundreds of millions of dollars to boost their private profits. Families in New Jersey need financial help today, not celebrity cameos.”
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