Mar 10, 2008 04:30 AM
The federal tax credit change that sparked a film censorship uproar is designed to fix a problem that has never presented itself, a government spokesperson has confirmed.
Bill C-10, currently seeking Senate approval, contains an amendment that would allow bureaucrats to withdraw tax credits for Canadian films and TV shows deemed in violation of the Criminal Code.
Yet the problem is a hypothetical one, because no such film has ever been presented for tax credit consideration, said Andrew House, a spokesperson for Heritage Minister Josée Verner.
"Canadian Heritage has not received an application for a production containing criminal content," House said via email.
He was responding to questions from the Star regarding Verner's statement last week that Bill C-10, which the House of Commons approved last fall, will solve the "legal absurdity" of films facing Criminal Code prosecution seeking federal tax breaks.
The government's desire to fix a theoretical "absurdity" has prompted strenuous debate over the use of tax laws to censor films, a move critics say would put at risk a national film and TV production industry worth $5 billion annually.
"Mr. Harper's government is clearly responding to a problem which does not exist," NDP leader Jack Layton told the Star. "The Criminal Code is there to deal with any issues that might arise, and none seem to have."
So all this now boils down to the simplest of questions, which hopefully someone at the Senate Banking committee will ask the government this week:
If the problem you say the change in the law is supposed to fix has never once existed, then why is the change necessary? And how can the public be assured that the new, untested powers -- which are apparently completely unnecessary -- won't be used to impose politics on an area of tax law where it has no business being applied?
Or the short version...if there's no fire, then why are you REALLY pulling out the big fucking hose?
2 comments:
....exactly! So the big elephant in the room must be to potentially censor those projects that criticize government, government policy, military policy, big business,by withdrawing funding. Or is the minister just accusing his whole department and the funding process as being incompetent.....lol!
I think it boils down to creating a climate of instability using an unrelated issue as a government hand wipe. Banks can be the fall guys for not funding production. The government need never say they don't support Canadian content or culture.
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