Actor Jon Voight met with President Donald Trump over the weekend in Mar-a-Lago to formally pitch his plans on how to bring production back stateside, and tariffs are only a small part of that plan.
Voight along with his manager and producer Steven Paul and SP Media Group and Atlas Comics President Scott Karol submitted a comprehensive plan to President Trump after several months of meeting with several dozen film and TV organizations and leaders across Hollywood about how to increase domestic film production.
Per a release, the proposal includes “federal tax incentives, significant changes to several tax codes, the establishment of co-production treaties with foreign countries, and infrastructure subsidies for theater owners, film and television production companies, and post-production companies.” But in addition to saying Voight’s proposal has a focus on job training, it also only suggests “tariffs in certain limited circumstances.”
That would seem to go against the announcement that sent the entire industry into a tizzy after Trump announced 100 percent tariffs on any movies made in “foreign lands,” which left a lot more questions than it answered. However, Trump on Monday told reporters that he intends to meet with Hollywood leaders himself and wants to help Hollywood, not harm it.
“The President loves the entertainment business and this country, and he will help us make Hollywood great again,” Voight said in a statement. The White House and its relevant policy advisors are reviewing the proposal.
Voight continued: “We look forward to working with the administration, the unions, studios, and streamers to help form a plan to keep our industry healthy and bring more productions back to America. By creating the right environment through smart incentives, updated policies, and much-needed support, we can ensure that American production companies thrive, more jobs stay here at home, and Hollywood once again leads the world in creativity and innovation.”
Voight was named a special ambassador alongside Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone back in January, but Monday’s announcement is the first time any plans or policy suggestions have been proposed, and Stallone and Gibson have yet to comment on the matter and have not appeared to take meetings across town.
Hollywood’s labor unions have also begun weighing in on Trump’s tariff proposal, with IATSE echoing Voight’s call for a federal tax incentive. While individual states have their own tax incentives and rebates to help productions, they’re competing against other countries with their own aggressive incentives, and the U.S. doesn’t have a comparable equivalent.
The suggestion of subsidies for theater owners, production companies, and post-production houses is also a new detail that has yet to be reported and could go a long way in helping keep jobs stateside. And opening up co-productions could be beneficial given the number of projects that shoot in multiple locations, though it’s unclear what involving the federal government in any film project would do for the movies.
“The American film industry, and Hollywood, is a beacon for teaching the American Dream to the world and is an engine for job growth and career opportunity,” said Paul. “It’s essential that we preserve America’s leadership in film and television production”.
“We’ve spent months meeting with top leaders across the film and television industry, and there is broad agreement that runaway production has become a serious issue that needs to be addressed now,” said Karol. “This plan is about leveling the playing field so that producing right here in America is not only a competitive option, but the first choice.”
