Supporters hope legislation boosts Paducah film industry

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) – Supporters of a measure that enhances Kentucky’s tax incentives for filmmakers are hoping the legislation will boost Paducah’s film industry.

The Paducah Sun reports (http://bit.ly/1TXH8vN) the measure passed last spring increased Kentucky’s existing income tax credit for films from 20 percent to 30 percent for each production’s Kentucky-based spending, with an extra 5 percent incentive for using Kentucky resident labor or filming in an “enhanced incentive county.”

The bill also cut in half the spending thresholds for productions to qualify for incentives.

Chris Bower has been producing and acting in films for about a decade. He was named Paducah’s “Film Concierge” by the local Convention and Visitor’s Bureau following the passage of the legislation.

Bower says the incentives make Kentucky more competitive with states like Georgia and Louisiana, which he says have some of the best production incentive packages in the country.

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Information from: The Paducah Sun, http://www.paducahsun.com

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.