Letter to the Editor

Letter: Film tax credits have another side

I was disappointed with the one-sided reporting of the article, "Rep. Swan Reintroduces Film Tax-Credit Bill" (March 19, 2015). The front-page article failed to mention that there is opposition to the bill. By only reporting the positions of those in support of reinstating Missouri's film tax credit program, you are painting a distorted portrait of what occurred at the hearing.

My colleague and I submitted and delivered testimony explaining why the film tax credit programs do not deliver on their economic promises. Your article failed to mention how the return on investment for the program is cents on the dollar, a position supported by the findings of numerous studies. You also failed to mention that the jobs "created" by the program are ephemeral and low-paying.

I hope your readers are able to see past your obvious bias on this matter and will search for more truthful versions of the story. Our testimony is available on our website at www.showmeinstitute.org.

Jessica Stearns, intern,

Show-Me Institute, St. Louis