What’s wrong with this picture? State auditors give Georgia’s movie tax credit mixed reviews

A crew member works on the set during filming of Avengers: Infinity War Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)


Georgia’s film tax credit helped bring blockbuster productions like “Stranger Things,” “Ozark” and “Spiderman: No Way Home” to the state, along with an estimated $4.4 billion in spending during the 12 months ending June 30.

But a new report from the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts finds lingering concerns about the program’s transparency and rising cost to the state treasury.

The program, passed in 2005, offers a tax credit of up to 30% for production companies that spend at least $500,000 on qualified productions. The amount of the annual credit more than doubled between 2013 and 2019, growing from $407 million to $961 million. The Georgia Department of Economic Development estimates credit amounts for 2021 and 2022 exceeded $1 billion, making Georgia’s incentive the largest of any state.