Lt. Gov. Stack Running Pittsburgh Marathon For A Cause: Film Tax Credits

By Andrew Staub | PA Independent

Lt. Gov. Mike Stack ran in this Sunday’s Pittsburgh Marathon, but a news release Friday had a twist even director M. Night Shyamalan could appreciate.

Stack, a Democrat, will lace up to “focus attention on the need to raise the film tax credit,” his office said.  Independent filmmakers from Pittsburgh will record Stack’s run and use it in a video promoting the benefits of the tax credit, according to a media advisory.

It’s not exactly the type of cause you would expect somebody would run 26.2 miles to support.

“He’s a big believer in the program,” said Stack’s spokesman, Gary Tuma.

Once as high as $75 million in 2007, the tax credit is now capped at $60 million a year. A running enthusiast and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Stack would like to see it increased to “as large as a number as is practical,” Tuma said.

“He thinks it should be large enough that we can keep the industry generating a lot of business for Pennsylvania,” Tuma said.

But does Hollywood really need such a champion?

Supporters of the tax credit laud it for bringing to Pennsylvania film productions that can spur local economies, but groups such as the Commonwealth Foundation, a free-market think tank based in Harrisburg, have questioned whether taxpayers are getting a good deal.

The state doled out $48 million in tax breaks for just two of Shyamalan’s flicks – “The Happening” and “The Last Airbender” — but a 2013 report from Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office found that for every dollar spent on the film tax credit the state recoups 14 cents in tax revenue from related business.

It’s only natural then that Nate Benefield, vice president of policy analysis for the Commonwealth Foundation, looked at Stack’s race with raised eyebrows.

“While some people are running to raise awareness for breast cancer or raise money for the Pittsburgh food bank, the lieutenant governor is racing to aid Hollywood producers and movie stars,” Benefield said. “This shows a remarkably misguided perspective on the role of government and charity in society.”

Stack took part in the marathon last year, when he was running for lieutenant governor. In that case, he asked donors to contribute $1 for every mile to the Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocacy PAC, according to Politics PA.