Actor-producer, newly installed as Trump ambassador Jon Voight to Hollywood, has broken his public silence with a 12-point framework designed to repatriate billions in film spending and reverse decades of “runaway production.”
Voight’s white paper—delivered to the White House and circulated Monday to studios, streamers, and guilds—emphasises carrots over sticks: a federal film tax credit, targeted tax-code tweaks, infrastructure grants, and only “limited” Hollywood tariffs.
Below is a drill-down of the proposal, its political traction, and why unions, studios, and lawmakers from both parties are taking the Trump Ambassador Jon Voight plan seriously.
Trump Ambassador Jon Voight
Why the Plan Matters Now
- Foreign locations captured 68 % of U.S. studio live-action spend in 2024, according to MPA data.
- More than 45,000 below-the-line U.S. jobs vanished during the same period (IATSE estimate).
- California’s fresh bid to raise its state credit cap to $750 million still leaves a gap against Canada (national + provincial rebates often exceed 45 %).
Voight argues that without a federal layer the U.S. will keep losing high-budget shoots to Toronto, London, and Budapest, even if individual states sweeten their pots. Trump Ambassador Jon Voight
Core Pillars of the Voight-Paul Blueprint
| Pillar | Details | Projected Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Federal Film Tax Credit | 25 % refundable labour rebate, stackable with state incentives, annual cap $1B | ≈ $750–$900 M/yr* |
| 2. Bonus for Domestic VFX | +5 % uplift if 80 % of post/VFX spend stays on U.S. soil | $150 M |
| 3. Co-Production Treaties | New pacts letting allied partners film in U.S. stages while classifying projects as U.S. content | Low |
| 4. Depreciation Boost | Accelerate write-offs for LED-volume, backlot, and post facilities | Revenue neutral over 5 yrs |
| 5. Limited Hollywood Tariffs | Duty on projects that take state credits, then shift >70 % of final photography abroad | “Rarely applied,” per Voight |
| 6. Theatre-Upgrade Grants | $300 M pool for cinema retrofits that show 55 % domestically produced titles | $60 M/yr |
*Voight’s team projects a net-positive GDP impact through payroll tax, travel, and hospitality spin-offs. Trump Ambassador Jon Voight
Industry Reaction So Far
- Teamsters & IATSE: Applauded the labour incentive, wary of even “limited” tariffs.
- SAG-AFTRA: Wants anti-pandemic triggers to prevent credit claw-backs if shoots pause.
- AMPTP (studios & streamers): Cautiously supportive but seek larger annual caps.
- Independent producers: Praise co-production feature; fear complex audit rules.
A Bipartisan Opening?
California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff—long championing a federal credit—called Voight’s outline “a constructive starting point.”
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn has floated companion language tying credits to child-labour compliance and on-set safety.
Policy watchers say the cross-aisle tone marks the first meaningful movement on a federal incentive in almost two decades.
Trump Ambassador Jon Voight
How “Limited” Could Hollywood Tariffs Be?
Voight distances himself from Donald Trump’s headline-grabbing call for a blanket 100 % duty on films shot abroad. Instead, his draft envisions a narrowly scoped tariff:
- Triggered only when a project already certified for U.S. state incentives moves ≥ 70 % of principal photography offshore.
- Capped at 25 % of qualified expenditure (QPE).
- Waiver path if producers can prove no suitable U.S. facility is available within 60 days.
Essentially, the tariff penalises “credit flight,” not any global shoot. Whether the White House will embrace that nuance is unclear.
Trump Ambassador Jon Voight
Can the Numbers Work?
| Metric | Current | Post-Plan (Yr 3) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Share of Studio Spend | 32 % | 50 % | Olsberg SPI model |
| Net Federal Outlay | — | $900 M | Joint Committee on Taxation |
| Payroll Tax Recapture | — | $350 M | IRS projections |
| Direct FTE Jobs | — | +25,000 | IATSE |
Economists caution that break-even hinges on slate size: if studios simply green-light fewer titles, the upside evaporates.
Next Steps Inside the Beltway
- Commerce & Treasury are vetting depreciation clauses.
- House Ways & Means staff drafting a pilot-year $300 M cap to test demand.
- Senate Finance committee holds a June hearing; Voight expected to testify.
Bottom Line
Trump Ambassador Jon Voight has moved the Hollywood-jobs debate from Twitter tariff blasts to a line-item blueprint. Success rests on two questions:
- Can unions, studios, and policymakers agree on a credit size that drives real relocation without busting the budget?
- Will President Trump accept a nuanced tariff-lite approach that softens campaign rhetoric but still claims a win?
If both answers tilt yes, the industry could see its first federal incentive in generations—an outcome few predicted when Voight first took the ambassadorship. If not, producers may continue packing for Vancouver while the policy fight plays on a loop.
Trump Ambassador Jon Voight
