Multinationals Shoot Ads With State Film Tax Credits

State film tax credit programs are increasingly financing advertisements for some of the world’s largest consumer product companies, some of which subsequently sell the credits to other companies looking to reduce their state tax liabilities.

Twenty-eight states and Puerto Rico allow such incentives for production of commercials. Major companies, including McDonald’s Corp., Kellanova, and AbbVie Inc., receive these to promote products such as burgers, cereal, and prescription drugs. Tax credits are sometimes obtained by ad agencies or production companies, while in other cases the brands obtain them directly. And productions aren't always required to be filmed entirely within the jurisdiction offering the credit.

Some states allow recipients with minimal or no tax obligations to sell the credits for cash, enabling major corporations like Walmart Inc., Apple Inc., and Bank of America Corp. to buy them up and lower their state tax bills, despite having no involvement in the productions.

In this episode of Talking Tax, host David Schultz spoke with Bloomberg Tax reporter Angélica Serrano-Román about her recent deep dive into state film tax incentive programs, the companies receiving these benefits, and the buying and selling of credits.

Data obtained from Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico, which provided insight for the Feb. 5 story, is now available on GitHub.

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