Tucson: AZ Film Bill Opponents Making Push - Please forward

 

From: Shelli Hall [mailto:SHall@visittucson.org]
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 5:48 PM
Subject: AZ Film Bill Opponents Making Push - Please forward

 

Friends of Film in Southern Arizona,

 

The opposition to HB2127 - the Free Enterprise Club, Goldwater Institute and Americans for Prosperity, are making a big push to discredit the bill as it heads into the home stretch. They’re twisting the facts to make it sound like the bill will only benefit the film industry and will cost everyone else. This is false. The ESI study, as well as many other film incentive studies done by other states, tell a different story.

 

According to the ESI study the bill is self funded. It costs the state nothing and returns $1.08 to the state for every dollar spent. That's an 8% return on investment for the state. This incentive benefits every taxpayer in the state, and it helps create additional non industry-related jobs. Plus we crafted this program to be fiscally responsible; a substantial application fee is charged and State, County and City sales taxes and hotel bed taxes are all paid by the film companies while they are here.

 

Here is an email from “Americans for Prosperity – AZ chapter” - that was sent to their supporters. Note that they take credit for HB2127 being “held” 2 weeks ago in Sen. Melvin's Senate Commerce  committee: "On March 14, AFP-AZ and our allies kept the striker bill from being heard in the Senate Commerce Committee, but the zombies have risen again from the muck! Unfortunately, on Tuesday, March 20, the zombies successfully pushed their striker to HB 2127 through the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Dems on the committee all voted in favor of the corporate-welfare handout to the film industry. But to pass the bill out of committee, the zombies needed to pick up several Repub votes. Unfortunately, the following Repub Senators voted for the striker bill. Please send them emails to encourage them to hold the line against the zombie movie subsidy when the bill reaches the floor of the Senate):  Sen. Al Melvin, Sen. Jerry Lewis and  Sen. Don Shooter."

 

This is a statewide issue. If you want this program to pass, we ask that you contact every Senator in the legislature over this next week and ask them to support HB2127 - the self funded bill that will bring jobs back to Arizona, increased revenues to the state and, as the ESI study suggests, actually make an 8% profit on every dollar spent here. Go to AFMC.org and click on "Toolbox" to find Senators’ e-mails. Take the opportunity to say something positive about the need for the incentives. AFMC.org has "Talking Points" too if you need them. Keep it short (not like this email), to the point and above all else, keep it positive!

 

It all comes down to numbers. To be effective, we must outnumber the emails and calls from the opposition. We expect that the bill will go to the floor of the Senate the week of April 16.

 

We’re on the home stretch. Please don’t give up now.

 

Best,

Shelli

 

Thanks to Mike Kucharo, AFMC President, for most to the content in this email.

 

Shelli Hall

Director

Tucson Film Office

division of Metro Tucson CVB

100 S. Church Ave

Tucson, AZ 85701

520.770.2126

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