Trump Announces a 100% Tariff on Foreign Movies
Trump put up a post on Truth Social that said he instructed the Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative to add a 100% tariff on films that are produced outside the United States and for films that are imported into America.This is an unprecedented move that Hollywood is still figuring out in real time. — (@) Trump's post read, "The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"The post has no new information on how this would be imposed, movies are not actual goods, so treating them that way is a completely new concept. And we have really no idea without specifics which movies this applies to. For example, can we not bring in foreign movies to be released here? Or will the tariff apply to studio productions who shoot outside the country, like in Canada, to take advantage of those tax incentives there. If it does apply to studios shooting elsewhere, that would drastically change the plans Hollywood has right now to make movies and TV shows, and make ones in production in other countries already more expensive. We have states within the US who have substantial tax credits. And places like California are proposing a substantial tax credit aimed at bringing production back to Hollywood.But without getting those incentives, merely placing a 100% tariff on shooting elsewhere will just force Hollywod to make fewer films, or drive budgets higher. Trump called these outside productions a national security threat, which I don't totally understand, but I get wanting money to come back to the US. I'm not president, but if I was, I wouldn't make a tariff on importing films. I would just subsidize movies that shot 100% in the US and who employed like 75% of American workers. That way you're not driving budgets higher and you're encouraging people to stay and shoot in America by offsetting budgets. I guess those incentives are up to the states, so the president could also incentivize states to boost them. None of that is happening, and for now, we're just doing these tariffs. When we get the details on how they'll work and what it'll apply to, I'll write another article updating you. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Trump put up a post on Truth Social that said he instructed the Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative to add a 100% tariff on films that are produced outside the United States and for films that are imported into America.
This is an unprecedented move that Hollywood is still figuring out in real time.
— (@)
Trump's post read, "The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"
The post has no new information on how this would be imposed, movies are not actual goods, so treating them that way is a completely new concept.
And we have really no idea without specifics which movies this applies to. For example, can we not bring in foreign movies to be released here? Or will the tariff apply to studio productions who shoot outside the country, like in Canada, to take advantage of those tax incentives there.
If it does apply to studios shooting elsewhere, that would drastically change the plans Hollywood has right now to make movies and TV shows, and make ones in production in other countries already more expensive.
We have states within the US who have substantial tax credits. And places like California are proposing a substantial tax credit aimed at bringing production back to Hollywood.
But without getting those incentives, merely placing a 100% tariff on shooting elsewhere will just force Hollywod to make fewer films, or drive budgets higher.
Trump called these outside productions a national security threat, which I don't totally understand, but I get wanting money to come back to the US.
I'm not president, but if I was, I wouldn't make a tariff on importing films. I would just subsidize movies that shot 100% in the US and who employed like 75% of American workers. That way you're not driving budgets higher and you're encouraging people to stay and shoot in America by offsetting budgets. I guess those incentives are up to the states, so the president could also incentivize states to boost them.
None of that is happening, and for now, we're just doing these tariffs.
When we get the details on how they'll work and what it'll apply to, I'll write another article updating you.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
