A cast of characters from Washington’s TV and film industry descended on Olympia Tuesday seeking an expanded tax credit for the film industry.
On the steps of the Washington Capitol, a gun battle with zombies played out before the cameras. It was inspired by Z Nation, a TV show shot in Spokane. The message of this scene: lawmakers should expand Washington’s current TV and film industry tax credit to $10 million by 2019.
One of the actors said, “It’s jobs, man.”
Inside the capitol, Democratic Governor Jay Inslee said, zombies aside, it’s a serious issue.
“It does create a lot of jobs,” he admitted. But Inslee said it’s also a matter of priorities. Expanding tax breaks for the film industry is a tough sell given the state is in contempt of court over school funding.
“But I’m open to ideas,” the governor said. “So I’ll look forward to talking with our zombie friends.”
The zombies are re-energized. They just fought off another legislative proposal -- one that aimed to axe the film industry tax credit altogether.
