by James A. Bacon
Here’s one way to look at it: If the commonwealth is going to shower millions of dollars in tax credits and grants to multimillionaires for making movies in Virginia, it might as well give it to Virginia multimillionaires. At least that keeps the money in the state!
According to the Times-Dispatch, the state gave a $200,000 grant and an $800,000 tax credit to the production company that filmed “Field of Lost Shoes” about the Civil War battle of New Market in which VMI cadets helped defeat a Union army. The company is owned by Thomas Farrell II, CEO of Dominion Resources, who co-wrote, invested in and raised money for the movie. Farrell’s son, Peter Farrell, a Henrico County delegate to the General Assembly, also was an investor, co-producer and actor in the movie.
If the state is going to shell out that kind of money to lure film production to Virginia — the independent film company spent nearly $4 million in “qualified expenses” on the project — why give it all away to the likes of multibillionaire Steven Spielberg, who filmed “Lincoln” in the Old Dominion? Share the wealth, baby!
Of course, I’m being totally facetious. The state has no business subsidizing film production for anyone — Virginian or non-Virginian; millionaire, billionaire or pauper — any more than it has subsidizing painters, fiction writers, graphic novelists, musicians, bloggers or any other artist. Welfare (or incentives, whatever you want to call it) for millionaires is not justifiable in anybody’s moral framework.
The point of the film tax program is to encourage economic activity — film production — in Virginia that wouldn’t take place here otherwise. Did giving Farrell’s production company $1 million induce him to film in Virginia as opposed to somewhere else? Where else was Farrell, a University of Virginia grad, going to film a movie about VMI and a battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley? Kentucky? Southern California?
This is one more instance of Virginia’s political class picking the pockets of taxpayers and redistributing it to the wealthy and politically connected. Republicans, who increased this particular subsidy under the McDonnell administration, are blocking the expansion of Medicaid on the grounds that we can’t afford it (which we can’t). But they’re OK with subsidizing a millionaire’s personal artistic passion? Shame! Shame!
While I deplore the tax breaks, I have to say, the movie trailer looks pretty good. The Farrells lined up some serious B-List talent — Jason Isaacs, Tom Skerritt, David Arquette — and the acting and production values come across as very professional. I hope the movie is a financial success. If it is, maybe Tom Farrell will film more stories from Virginia history… without the benefit of tax breaks.
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