States lavish tax breaks on Hollywood

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Many states that are cutting spending on schools, roads and other basics have been lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives on Hollywood studios to lure TV and movie productions - this, despite scant evidence that taxpayers come out ahead on such deals....

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Many states that are cutting spending on schools, roads and other basics have been lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives on Hollywood studios to lure TV and movie productions - this, despite scant evidence that taxpayers come out ahead on such deals....

Many states that are cutting spending on schools, roads and other basics have been lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives on Hollywood studios to lure TV and movie productions -- this, despite scant evidence that taxpayers come out ahead on such deals.

AP - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Friday that grants hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives aimed at keeping two large employers in Illinois.

France is eager to lure Hollywood film productions with tax breaks and to dispel perceptions that the country is too pricey for filming and hostile toward U.S.

More money is going out than coming in from film production, says an agency that advises the state Senate, renewing a debate over whether incentives are worth the cost to taxpayers.Film tax incentive programs have been touted as a welcome revenue generator for state coffers. More than 40 states now offer such tax breaks to Hollywood filmmakers, siphoning off production from Southern California.

Known for its white-sand beaches and killer rums, Puerto Rico hopes to stake a new claim: tax haven for the wealthy. Since the beginning of the year, the island has gone on a campaign to promote tax incentives that took effect last year, marketing its beautiful beaches, private schools and bargain costs in an effort to lure well-heeled hedge fund managers and business executives to its shores.