There is an article in yesterday’s Wilmington Star News detailing Governor McCrory’s claim that North Carolina’s film incentive program is being abused. In particular the Governor refers to a $400,000 grant to Jon Stewart’s Daily Show when they came to NC to cover the Democratic convention in 2012. Special interest champions of the incentives are taking issue with the governor’s use of the word “abuse.” According to the Star News:
Katy Feinberg, spokeswoman for the North Carolina Production Alliance, which represents the state’s film community, also said there “have been no abuses – plain and simple.”
“North Carolina has one of the most accountable and successful film programs in America, and part of what makes it work so well are the effective audits by the Department of Revenue,” Feinberg said.
Of course the real abuse related to these incentives were not even mentioned in the article. In particular I refer to the abuse of North Carolina taxpayers by the incentives program itself and the crony relationship that has developed between the film industry and North Carolina politicians.
