BILL NUMBER: S4662REVISED 3/10/25
SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the economic development law, in relation to requiring
the department of economic development issue a quarterly report on film
production and post production tax credits by project and by county in
the aggregate and publish such reports on such department's website
 
PURPOSE:
Increase reporting transparency relating film production and post
production tax credits
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends Section 100 of the economic development law.
Section 2: Sets Effective Date
 
JUSTIFICATION:
This amendment aims to enhance transparency and accountability in New
York's Film/TV tax credit program by requiring the Economic State Devel-
opment (ESD) to submit and publish quarterly reports with county-by-
county breakdowns of tax credits issued. Currently, ESD publishes limit-
ed data in PDF reports that are not available in an open data format on
an ongoing basis. Moreover, ESD does not report where qualified costs
are actually incurred or where principal photography takes place,
instead listing only the county where a production company is incorpo-
rated.
This lack of transparency prevents policymakers and the public from
fully assessing the economic impact of the tax credit program, which has
been estimated to cost New Yorkers $75,000 per job. By requiring quar-
terly reports that include key data points-such as qualified production
costs, days of principal photography, employee numbers, and credit-eli-
gible work hours-broken down by county and individual project, this bill
ensures greater public accountability.
Supporters of the film/TV credit claim it benefits Upstate New York, yet
without detailed county-level reporting, there is little way to confirm
how much spending and job creation actually occurs outside of New York
City, or whether productions are receiving the correct bonus payments
for filming in designated upstate counties. This amendment does not
alter the existing tax credit structure but strengthens oversight by
ensuring that economic incentives are distributed fairly, data is made
publicly accessible, and the program's true impact on New York's economy
can be properly evaluated.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S4662: 100 economic development law