| Mr.
Kaufman Goes to Washington
The Alliance’s Advocacy program continued
its effort to get the independents’ message to Washington’s "movers
and shakers" as IFTA Vice Chairman, Lloyd Kaufman made his fifth
IFTA trip to the nation’s capitol on 1 December, visiting the offices
of New York Senator Charles Schumer and California
Representative, Xavier Becerra. Schumer, who
sits on the Judiciary Committee, is expected to be one of the key players
in the now Democratic controlled Senate. Becerra, whose 31st District
lies wholly within the City of Los Angeles, is a member of what some consider
the House’s most important committee, Ways and Means, which oversees the
nation’s tax code.
Media consolidation was the topic of concern in Lloyd’s meeting
with Schumer Chief Counsel, Preet Bharara. Hammering home the harm
that vertical integration has done to both the industry and consumer
choice, Lloyd described the difficulties that independents face
in getting their product to the public. Rectifying this situation
will require governmental help in the form of regulations that reduce
current barriers to entry. The availability of more robust production
incentives that assist independents in financing their motion pictures
took center stage in Lloyd’s conversation with Joel Najar, Tax Counsel
to Xavier Becerra. Giving Mr. Najar a primer as to how independent
films are financed, Lloyd explained how the current tax incentive
contained in the Federal JOBS Act, has failed to provide meaningful
assistance for some independent producers.
"We have succeeded in interesting Washington in
what independents are doing," commented IFTA President &
CEO, Jean Prewitt. "Now we have to educate lawmakers as to how
current marketplace structures have put this business in jeopardy and
what remedies are needed. Lloyd Kaufman has been instrumental in this
effort." |