Seanad debates
Tuesday, 25 March 2003
Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Second Stage.
The elimination of the film relief scheme is unfortunate. I am well aware of the downside and I know that particular individuals have reduced their tax liability greatly by the use of the film relief scheme. We did not have a domestic film industry of any size before the relief was introduced. It was an effective means of attracting filmmakers to work in Ireland. It could be criticised because much of the labour was not domestic and the gains were not long-term, but for a short period Ireland was regarded as a good place to make films. The announcement that the relief will come to an end next year is not good. I hope the Minister will, in time, reverse that decision.
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