This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A bill designed to lure more movie companies to shoot films in Utah was passed out of a House committee Thursday.
The House Workforce Services and Community and Economic Development Committee unanimously passed HB99, with a provision that would increase a tax rebate for movie productions from 20 to 25 percent. The bill now heads to the House for debate.
The incentives program — which is run through the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) — currently refunds movie producers up to 20 percent of what they spend in Utah while shooting here. It's the same incentive that helped fund the making of the three "High School Musical" movies, the Oscar-nominated drama "127 Hours" and the upcoming big-budget science-fiction film "John Carter of Mars."
The bill not only raises the tax rebate, which GOED says will make Utah more competitive with other states, it will help the state's efforts to attract a TV series, said Utah Film Commission executive director Marshall Moore.
"This inherently makes us more attractive to the studios and networks," Moore said.
— Vince Horiuchi