Hawaii’s lucrative film and TV industry grapples with a new ceiling on tax rebates

Heidi Chang Oct 29, 2018
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Guests attend the 2016 Maui Film Festival At Wailea at the Celestial Cinema on June 19, 2016 in Wailea, Hawaii. Mike Windle/Getty Images

Hawaii’s lucrative film and TV industry grapples with a new ceiling on tax rebates

Heidi Chang Oct 29, 2018
Guests attend the 2016 Maui Film Festival At Wailea at the Celestial Cinema on June 19, 2016 in Wailea, Hawaii. Mike Windle/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
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America’s film and TV industry generates billions of dollars in economic activity each year. That’s why many states compete with each other to lure productions to their locations. Hawaii however, competes more with other countries and tropical locales. And right now, it’s on a roll. Hawaii officials predict this could be the industry’s most lucrative year. But, many in the production community also worry they could see a reversal of this trend, when a new ceiling on the industry’s tax rebates takes effect for the first time on Jan. 1.

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