Irish actors petition for tax reliefs

Leading film and television actors have claimed their industry will be destroyed if existing tax reliefs are removed in the forthcoming Budget.

Aidan Quinn, Victoria Smurfit and Stephen Rea were just some of the stars who signed a petition in Dublin yesterday calling on the Government to provide the supports necessary to safeguard the film industry here.

The petition, which is being circulated to Ireland's 1,600 actors, calls for the retention of the current tax incentive for film production. Known as section 481, this provides a risk-free tax shelter for investors and producers.

The measure was introduced in the 1980s on a temporary basis, but has recently come under scrutiny from the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, who has said there is "no justification" for its extension.

According to Screen Producers Ireland, which is organising the petition, the relief helped to drive 18 per cent annual growth in the industry over the past 10 years. Mr Tristan Orpen Lynch, one of the organisers, says its retention could stimulate further growth, which would allow the numbers employed to rise further, from 4,500 at present to 11,000 by 2010.

Aidan Quinn said he was astonished that the removal of the tax incentive was even being contemplated. All the Irish films in which he had been involved had benefited from this kind of funding. "Indeed, I don't think any of them would have been made without it."

The film Michael Collins raised about 12.5 per cent of its budget in this way and this was crucial to the film getting the "green light" to go ahead, he said.

According to Quinn, investors regarded Ireland as a great place in which to make films, with fantastic crews, even if it was a bit expensive. In these circumstances and given that other countries offered similar incentives, it would be extremely "unwise" to abolish Section 481.

Victoria Smurfit said that unless actors banded together and "made some noise", they would "end up with no industry". Every other country in Europe gave tax breaks to the film sector so Ireland would become the "poor relation" if it didn't.

Smurfit said the availability of tax reliefs had contributed to the success of Ballykissangel, in which she appeared for two years, which in turn had had huge benefits for tourism and the general image of Ireland.