A movie recently shot in North Carolina that depicts a child rape scene has revived the debate over the state’s film incentives policy, and State Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger took to the national media to draw attention to the issue.
Berger, an Eden Republican, appeared on Tuesday night’s “Glenn Beck” program on the CNN Headline News network. The senator has called for a change in policy, so that filmmakers who want tax breaks through the state’s film incentives program would have to gain pre-approval by submitting their scripts to the N.C. Film Office.
The movie that disturbed Berger, and others in the national media, is “Hounddog,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah last week. It stars child actress Dakota Fanning, who is depicted in one scene as the victim of rape.
“The potential eligibility of this film for taxpayer funded incentives illustrates the problems with giving government cash handouts to companies that produce films in North Carolina,” Berger said in a statement last week.
The state film incentives program allows filmmakers to receive up to a 15 percent rebate on production-related expenses on films made in the state. They claim the refund on their tax returns.
On Beck’s show, Berger questioned why North Carolina taxpayers should subsidize “Hounddog,” considering other needs that the state budget should fund.
“The movie itself deals with a controversial subject, and it’s not exactly something that most people here in North Carolina would want to see their tax dollars spent for,” Berger said on the program.
The senator noted that other states, including South Carolina and Georgia, have procedures by which their film officials review scripts before approving incentives.
“We need to put in place some kind of control to make sure that the taxpayers don’t get embarrassed,” Berger said.
Beck asked who would review scripts, and who would decide “what’s bad and what’s not?”
“For instance,” he said, “would the state have given a tax break to Al Gore on ‘An Inconvenient Truth?'” Berger replied that he didn’t know, suggesting that would need to be worked out in potential legislation. Then Beck asked why the government subsidized movies in the first place.
“That’s exactly the way I feel about it,” Berger said, “and I voted against the incentive program, but it’s here. It’s something that a majority of the members of the legislature want.
“And so I think what we’ve got to do is make sure that, if we’re going to have such a program, we do it in a way so that the taxpayers’ money is not being wasted.”
As he closed the segment, Beck said, “I’ve got to tell you. You know, every member of government needs to re-read ‘Atlas Shrugged.’ It’s time for our politicians to read, ‘Hey, government, stay out of business and let business do the work.'”
“But if business wants government money,” Berger said, “then business shouldn’t complain about government being involved in business.”
Paul Chesser ([email protected]) is associate editor of Carolina Journal.