Bigger, Bolder Tax Incentive Passes in Springfield: Tax Credit Upped to 30%, Sunset Clause Removed

Mike McNamara


It’s a great day to be a Chicago filmmaker.

In a remarkable turn of events, the Illinois General Assembly almost unanimously passed an enhanced film and television production tax credit Thursday afternoon. The tax credit has been increased from 20 percent to a whopping 30 percent. Just as importantly, the incentive’s sunset clause, which had required the bill to be renewed every single year (basically, it’s an expiration date), has been removed.

What does this new incentive package mean for the Illinois and Chicago film industry? The increase to 30 percent vaults Illinois up the ranks in the highly competitive interstate battle for attracting film and television production. The new bill serves as a direct response to recent tax credit enhancements in Michigan and Wisconsin, which went into effect earlier this past January and subsequently skyrocketed production in their respective regions. Meanwhile, with the removal of the sunset clause, companies interested in building the infrastructure of the Illinois film industry now have the security that this tax incentive isn’t going away. And those studios looking at Chicago for their next television series can rest assured these financial benefits will be in place long after Season One (or Twelve).