Jesus wept…
Government bins film subsidy cuts after Avatar threat
The government has abandoned plans to rein in ballooning subsides for Hollywood, citing film industry opposition and the threat of lawsuits from the producers of James Cameron’s Avatar films.The Weekend Herald reported in June these payments – that sees studios get cash payments of up to 25 per cent of their local spending on productions – had totalled $575 million since 2010, prompting Economic Development Minister David Parker to announce he was looking at ways to cap or limit the escalating costs to taxpayers.
But yesterday Parker, speaking from Australia, said following consultations with industry around the viability of their business – and thousands of accompanying jobs – without subsidies, and legal advice over a 2013 deal signed with Avatar producers, said cuts or changes to the subsidy scheme were now off the table.
“We’re not proposing to introduce a cap. We accept that the subsides are necessary, and we accept there’s a benefit to the country,” he said.
…if the Government rolled over for corporate Hollywood despite it bleeding us in subsidies this quickly, it bodes ill for any thought the government will pass the Hobbit Law employment changes.
Iain Lees-Galloway will dump the employment changes faster than he can scream, ‘I’m not a Hobbit Hater’.
The traditional NZ economy is looking increasingly precarious:
‘… today’s dairy auction brought yet another small decline and they are now mounting up. This is the fourth in a row and the eighth in the last ten auctions. Since this time last year, overall prices are down -14%. Since the start of 2018 they are down -6%. We are back to prices last seen in October 2016. The key milk powders are down a little less than the overall in today’s auction. Overall in NZD, prices are actually -2.2% lower than the last auction…’
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/96143/dairy-prices-slip-again-powell-very-positive-china-equities-dive-italian-bond-yields-jump
It’s a really simple equation. Either we compete by reimbursing a percentage of monies spent or all that money gets spent in another country who then also go on to reap the other benefits such as industrial upskilling, opportunities for technological innovation, further projects wanting to shoot and post-produce there, boosted international awareness for trade and tourism, flow-on effects for their own national cultural enterprises etc etc.
Labour is a kinder version of National
But did anyone really ever seriously think that Labour was going to be staunch on anything? That’s why I vote for the Greens. They actually believe in progressive policies as a matter of life and death
” The more things change the more they stay the same “
Once opinionated persons, including bloggers, turn a blind eye to the failings of their own ‘friends’, and run campaigns against the opposition disregarding that, you get closer to being corrupt yourself, I fear.
Come on, it is all under control, we are in safe hands, I suppose:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2018/10/stephen-colbert-now-has-hobbiton-citizenship.html
Tell these guys if they dont pay their fair share then maybe we should all get to watch their movies for free because it seems we have already paid to watch them.
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