In the Saskatchewan Legislature yesterday, NDP culture critic Danielle Chartier pressed the government to reveal the results of a study that the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and SaskFilm conducted into the economic ramifications of the decision last March to kill the Film Employment Tax Credit.
Sask. Party Minister of Parks, Culture & Sport Kevin Doherty (pictured) replied that it wasn’t the province’s study to release and that it was up to the Chamber and/or SaskFilm to do so.
Here’s a link to a story on the study today by CBC. Wonder of wonders, it contains comments by Chamber president Steve McLellan critical of the Wall government for killing the credit.
In justifying the move, the government said it cost taxpayers an average of $7.7 million a year in rebated tax revenue. The Chamber/SaskFilm study reveals, though, that projects that were green-lit under the credit generated $6.5 million in additional tax revenue for the province through income tax paid by employees and whatnot. So the net cost was $1.3 million annually. And thanks to the FETC TV and film projects worth roughly $44.5 million were shot in the province each year.
Without a FETC, all that economic activity, which benefited hundreds of workers and businesses in Saskatchewan, is gone. Here’s a link to the report on the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce website.