Tax Incentive to Cut Gay TV, Film Characters

A proposed tax incentive to attract the film and television industry to Florida would not apply to productions that showcase "nontraditional family values," says the Republican house member sponsoring the jobs stimulus measure.

By Julie Bolcer, The Advocate
March 09, 2010

Films and television shows with gay characters could be ineligible for a “family-friendly” tax credit, part of a $75 million incentive package that Florida house Republicans hope will attract entertainment jobs to their state.

According to the Palm Peach Post, “The bill would prohibit productions with ‘nontraditional family values’ from receiving a so-called family-friendly tax credit. But it doesn't define what ‘nontraditional family values’ are, something the bill's sponsor had a hard time doing, too.”

When pressed on whether shows with gay characters should get the tax credit, state representative Stephen Precourt, a Republican from Orlando who is sponsoring the bill, said, "That would not be the kind of thing I'd say that we want to invest public dollars in."

Currently, a state law that gives tax credits to “family-friendly” films defines the content as suitable for a 5-year-old, according to the Post: “Smoking, sex, nudity and profane language are prohibited, as are ‘obscene’ productions as defined by the state's sex crime laws.”

“Precourt's proposal would boost the credit from 2% to 5% and expand the list of taboos to include any ‘exhibit or implied act’ of nontraditional family values and gratuitous violence,” reports the Post.

Precourt represents the district that includes Walt Disney World.

The Republican house leadership is prioritizing the bill as a means to advance its agenda of job creation.