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Premier standing firm on tax breaks for movie industry
VANCOUVER/CKNW (AM980)
Laura Baziuk | Email news tips to laura.baziuk@corusent.com
1/23/2013

B-C'S Premier remains firm on her stance for tax breaks for filmmakers,  and is taking shots at the opposition leader for not being clear on where he stands.


Four thousand people turned up at a rally last night in to try and save the BC film industry.


But Christy Clark stands strong: she will not increase tax incentives.

"I've been really clear about where we stand on this. $285 million in tax credits, which is, I think, generous."

She also dismisses NDP leader Adrian Dix's trip down to Los Angeles today to discuss BC's plight, pointing to her government's trade deal with the Bollywood industry.

"That's real work. It's not going down to the land of make believe."

Clark says Dix hasn't been forthcoming either.

"The problem for the opposition is they act like everything is on a need-to-know basis."

Dix has questioned Clark's Bollywood deal when her government has yet to balance its budget.

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  • 48
  1. ChrisM_18 posted on 01/23/2013 11:56 AM
    Does Dix think that we have forgotten he voted out the HST ? Just a bit two faced of him to fly down to Hollywood to save the film industry !
    1. whiterockj posted on 01/23/2013 12:22 PM
      @ChrisM_18 nice try chris...

      it was the LIBERALS who voted out the HST. the NDP are in opposition and do not hold the power to alter our taxes.

      and your right, Dix should not be in Hollywood trying to save BC jobs, our premeir should be doing that.

      oh and by the way... the liberals can vote in an exemption from the pst for the movie industry if they want too.

      next time try blaming the people who are responsible instead of Dix. the man is no saint imho, but blame him for things he has done instead of things the liberals have.
    2. Ron_26 posted on 01/23/2013 12:37 PM
      @ChrisM_18 And it's interesting that Adrian is heading to LA. I guess those in the industry right here at home don't have enough smarts to help him come up with an idea.
    show more replies
  2. PippaP posted on 01/23/2013 12:11 PM
    Fewer shallow arrogant film industry bozos in Vancouver, taking over sidewalks and trying to push around locals - GOOD.
  3. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 12:20 PM
    ChrisM_18: So true!
  4. taxed to death posted on 01/23/2013 12:28 PM
    Great....let the jobs go to ontario (real smart MILF) ...this, all because the moron has blown her wad on narsasistic ads, trips here there and everywhere, private jets, bollywood, cost over runs on capitol projects...need I go on....I dont have another hour.....

    Jobs lost that would build a stronger economy, its completely contrdictory to the pathetic ads being run during prime time....beyond that these are families...you know Snookie.... "Families First" ...its all good, you will without a doubt lose thousands of votes due to your selfishness & sheer stupidity.....
  5. taxed to death posted on 01/23/2013 12:33 PM
    Adrian Dix...working for families and a stronger economy.....not himself or ethnic sectors of the province....keep up the good work Adrian....let dummy take the low road, people are done with her and her bullying!

    Pink T-Shirt day, pffffft...she is the epitomy of a hypocrit & bully....Amanda Todd deserves better representation,take a seat Snookie you dont rank!
    1. ChrisM_18 posted on 01/23/2013 01:45 PM
      @taxed to death Adrian Dix - disgraced and booted out of Victoria , now trying for a second chance !! Don't for aminute think he is motivated by anything other than his own self interest
    show more replies
  6. Fate posted on 01/23/2013 12:59 PM
    Referring to Hollywood as "the land of make believe" is a really good way to encourage investment in BC. She's such a great leader.
  7. speakup posted on 01/23/2013 01:08 PM
    let hope trixy DIXy can show his passenger ticket on this trip.....
    OOPS - I did it again.......
    (and take off that silly private schoolgirl outfit)
  8. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 01:52 PM
    Just a note to the NDP'er's in the audience that effective today, the NDP government of Greg Selinger in Manitoba officially launched their own ON LINE GAMBLING WEBSITE.
    He says his government needs the extra revenue that it will bring in to hire and pay more union government employees.
    1. fredb_7066 posted on 01/23/2013 02:32 PM
      @joes_2868 whats your point here?
      that hes creating jobs ?
      or that hes doing what the bc liberals have already done?
      you can gamble on line in bc
    2. WizardOron posted on 01/23/2013 03:28 PM
      @joes_2868 joes_2868 Can you please cite your sources as to where this information comes from:

      joes_2868 Just a note to the NDP'er's in the audience that effective today, the NDP government of Greg Selinger in Manitoba officially launched their own ON LINE GAMBLING WEBSITE.
      He says his government needs the extra revenue that it will bring in to hire and pay more union government employees.

      They are doing this in partnership with PlayNow, the BC online gambling website and Rich Coleman is very happy about this partnership and expansion of this program.

      I have not found anything similar as to what you claim the Manitoba Premier has said.
  9. WizardOron posted on 01/23/2013 02:23 PM
    It is very easy for the government to take care of this but Christie is taking the opportunity to court the southeast Asian vote by bring their industry award ceremony to BC as it was done in Ontario just before an election and McGunity held onto power there.

    The film industry people are looking for a level playing that is all. Three years ago Ontario and Quebec increased their tax credit to the industry and made it cheaper to produce television and movies there. BC could easily do that by classifying the film industry as manufacturing as it is in other provinces and make the film industry PST exempt.

    Also, it was the NDP gov't of the 1990s that courted and brought a lot of increased film and TV production to our province. I just heard this on the Simi Sara show.

    It is hard for the NDP to talk financially though because the BC Liberals have been all over the map about the provincial budget. They were calling for a surplus and hinting at tax breaks, then the cupboards were bare, to looking at a $1.5 billion deficit to now a balanced budget next month. But they took $15 million from the contingency fund because we the people need to know how great they are and how wonderful we are doing in BC, 8th place in job growth, not #1 as their ads tout. Now another $12 million for the bollywood award show, not a bad thing but what about the local film industry?

    She likes to throw around numbers and dollar figures but provides no context as to exactly what it all means.

    Remember they have only balanced 5 of the last 12 budgets, they've take almost $5 billion out of BC Hydro, money that Hydro does not have. Revenues are shrinking as the BC Liberals put all their eggs in one basket. Commodity prices are high now but not likely to stay up there. The 80's and 90's saw the lowest commodity prices in history. And this has nothing to do with the NDP being in power in the 90's. Commodity prices are based on supply and demand and market speculation.

    Gov revenues are shrinking. . .

    All Christie and the BC Liberals are doing is trying to buy our votes.
    1. commonsense posted on 01/23/2013 10:47 PM
      @WizardOron Okay...the Oscars of India are coming to BC. Deal with it. It's good for our province whether it's vote buying or not. Hopefully we see some Indian film producers eye BC for future productions.
  10. HenryC_9527 posted on 01/23/2013 02:33 PM
    What make Dix think Hollywood would meet with him?
  11. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 03:10 PM
    fredB_7066: He is doing something which Adrian Dix is against and the extra revenue as per NDP policy would be wasted on increasing the government employee payroll, not putting it to where it belongs in government services.
    1. commonsense posted on 01/23/2013 10:50 PM
      @joes_2868 You know, Dix has yet to say where his money will come from besides increasing corporate taxes. He has yet to say what funding he will increase. But, he has openly said that he will make unionizing easy in BC, eliminate secret ballots with unions, and my favourite, get rid of accountability with forgoing the balance budget law so that he can justify how he will make his promises. In other words, not pay down our debt and add to it. Certainly has not taken a page from Ralph Klein's book.
  12. tedw_5037 posted on 01/23/2013 03:11 PM
    the BC Christy party hates Arts&culture.....thats stuffs for lefties
  13. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 03:14 PM
    WizardOron: And Adrian Dix flying down to LA is not trying to buy taxpayer votes? He sure isn't doing it for the benefit of the workers.

    Just ask the readers consultant, Ken280, a man with a briefcase 50 miles away from home.
    1. WizardOron posted on 01/23/2013 03:37 PM
      @joes_2868 joes_2868 I cannot that he is not trying to buy votes but he is talking to the industry to see what their concerns are where as Christie Clark could not care less about their concerns.

      Adrian Dix has been very active in talking with everyone in BC because he wants to have a better understanding of what people and industry want in their government. He has a past for sure but people can and do change from the mistakes they have made.

      He is as is Christie doing what he thinks is right for the province. I respect his opinions and efforts as I do Christie's and I am entitled to agree or disagree with either or both of them.

      I try to be objective as I can as look back over the politics of the past 30 years or so and can see the good and of the Social Credit, NDP, and the Liberals. They have their strengths and weaknesses.

      The best we can do is get beyond the rhetoric of all involved, garner as much information as we can and then go out and vote.

      In my humble opinion name calling and dis-respect cannot be called reasoned debate.
    show more replies
  14. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 03:17 PM
    HenryC_9527: Because he shoots from the hip!
  15. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 03:54 PM
    WizardOron: Re Manitoba gaming. Isn't that what all NDP governments do with the extra revenue? I do my homework on NDP consumer affairs.
    1. WizardOron posted on 01/23/2013 06:47 PM
      @joes_2868 I see that facts then are not what you are basing your statement on but rather innuendo and opinion.

      And I disagree with you. . .Manitoba wants to have the revenue stay in the province instead of go elsewhere and not necessarily to wage increases for the public sector unions.

      By the way how much money should the public service make. How much do you make and why do you deserve your wage and they do not deserve theirs?

      Christie has given pretty good wage increases to the public sector unions and imagine just before an election. . .hhhmmmm?

      What should the minimum wage be?

      Don't write opinions as facts. . .

      Remember the Liberals. . .balanced their budgets by getting BC Hydro to defer debt to 20 or more years down the road so they could take the "false" surplus to balance their budgets, five budgets out of the last twelve balanced, $5 billion that BC Hydro/We will have to pay later.
  16. joes_2868 posted on 01/23/2013 04:01 PM
    Wizardoron: Then explain to the readers why you would never take back a former spouse from a previous divorce to re-create the nightmare but am willing to do it with government?
    You must note that the readers do not want a NDP government that has to take all cabinet decisions to Jim SinClair for approval, just like Glen Clark had to do with Ken Georgetti.
    Also why vote in a NDP government when they would be voted out in 2017? What is the point of this?
    IF THE LIBERALS HAVE TO GO, THE NDP IS NOT THE ANSWER. CREATE A POLITICAL PARTY.
  17. Cin_3294 posted on 01/23/2013 04:09 PM
    285 million. Generous maybe, that is a matter of opinion.

    But misses the point completely. If our offering is not competitive and the business is going elsewhere then it is just a meaningless number.

    Wish the government would provide something relevant on this - just throwing out this number without understanding and addressing the competitive situation is just not good enough.

    They`ve done the same thing on tourism, but that`s a story for a different day...
  18. KenL_6250 posted on 01/23/2013 04:10 PM
    The bottom line Clark should not be funding Bollywood from taxpayers money very few people are interested in it, like me. If they want it, it should be funded by the Indo Community only. I bet Clark will lose the election just on this issue alone, what a dummy Clark is!
    1. commonsense posted on 01/23/2013 10:55 PM
      @KenL_6250 Because the Indo-Canadian vote is low? This will not cause her the election. How many family members from India will come to Vancouver? Morale of the Indian community will increase and will reflect on Clark.
    show more replies
  19. StephenG_3 posted on 01/23/2013 07:12 PM
    British Columbians are already pouring millions into this industry. Enough is enough and I agree with the BC Liberals on this issue.
    1. commonsense posted on 01/23/2013 10:55 PM
      @StephenG_3 Hollywood North and Bollywood West
  20. insite posted on 01/23/2013 09:13 PM
    So Dix is not clear on where he stands on film industry tax credits according to Clark?

    Consider that the minister responsible (Bennett) is starting to waver on this issue. So, now we don't know where she really stands on anything. This is becoming an on-going problem with her policy announcements. She now has to reconsider her "firm" stand and respond to the overwhelming opposition to her policy on film tax credits.

    She does herself no favour by throwing $12 million at Bollywood while thumbing her nose at the domestic industry.

    Whether one agrees with Clark, it must be discouraging to hear pronouncement after pronouncement go wrong because she has not thought out the implication of her policies.

    But, that is precisely what happens when policy is developed for the sole purpose of securing votes.

    This is happening with alarming regularity....it used to be every week....now almost daily.

    And, she speaks of the important film industry and "Land of Make Believe" in the same context. Sounds insulting to our talented film producers.

    Heck, she travelled further afield for the opportunity to throw $ 12 million at a three-day event featuring 600 imported performers.
    1. commonsense posted on 01/23/2013 10:58 PM
      @insite Can you help me out here, I did not see how Bennett was waving on the issue of tax credits to the film industry. I may have missed an interview or news piece.

      Earlier today on CKNW I heard one member of one of film unions mention that if Clark invested an additional $250 million that we would see $1B in return. I have a hard time buying into that figure.
  21. UnemployedinBC posted on 01/23/2013 09:45 PM
    I know where the movie tax credit money went..... #skills4elitistsinbc
    Emily Carr getting 113 million. A whopping 75,000 of tax payers money per each of 1500 students. Sounds to me like they got a sugar MILF.
    1. commonsense posted on 01/23/2013 10:59 PM
      @UnemployedinBC This promise was made back in 2008 after Emily Carr, along with UFV, KPU, Cap and VIU were given university statuses.

      I believe the only new university that did not see something like that was UFV.
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