Trump To Impose 100% Tariffs On All Non-US Made Movies
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United States President Donald Trump has made a new move on his tariff-pushing agenda. The president announced a 100% tariff on any foreign-made film, alleging that the financial incentives offered by other countries are a "national security threat.” On his social media app Truth Social, Trump stated, (via BBC), "It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!" He also typed, "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!" A Whitehouse spokesman stated that “no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made.” A tariff is a tax that one country imposes on foreign goods being imported. Should this be finalized, access to foreign films will be limited as prices to purchase or view them will spike.
It isn’t just films produced by other countries; American films could take a hit on this as well. From tax credits to ideal scenery, U.S.-produced films often record chunks of their projects in other countries; as the cost to make a production continues to rise, creatives take the financial opportunities presented by different countries to work on a project. As these films are shot outside of the U.S., the tariff could apply to them as well; until the government figures out how to practically implement the tariff, it remains unclear.
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The United Kingdom has been well-known as a market for tax credits to filmmakers over the last few years, in particular. Timothy Richards, a European theater chain owner, commented on the subject, "But it's not just the actual financing itself.” He continued, "One of the reasons U.K. has done so well is we have some of the most highly experienced and skilled film and production crew in the world…The devil will be in the details."
An NPR film critic, Eric Deggans, chimed in on the subject: "It may create a situation where the tariffs in America are causing more harm than good." Access to U.S. films may be limited in foreign markets. Other countries might implement retaliatory tariffs as well, damaging the profits of U.S. films.
Hollywood and the film industry have been a specific target of Trump to focus on in his second term, among other goals. What this tariff will look like, practically, remains to be seen, as the government is still trying to figure out how it will be implemented. No major production halts have been announced at this time.
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