Nova Scotia

Lenore Zann joins Trailer Park Boys in support of tax credit

An NDP MLA, who spent decades in the film industry, is urging the provincial finance minister to beef up rather than weaken a popular industry tax credit.

Lenore Zann says people should be worried about the impact of any changes to the credit

New Democrat Lenore Zann says people should be worried about the impact of any changes to the credit. (CBC)

An NDP MLA, who spent decades in the film industry, is urging the provincial finance minister to beef up rather than weaken a popular industry tax credit.

Diana Whalen's criticism of the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit has sparked an intense lobbying effort by those in the industry, including a viral video from the Trailer Park Boys.

Lenore Zann says people should be worried about the impact of any changes to the credit.

"When I was an actor I lived out of a suitcase because the film industry will move. It is a fluid industry and it goes to where the best tax credits are and right now we have the competitive edge so let's build on that and let's create a really thriving creative economy,"she said.

The province has not said what it plans to do with the film tax credit, if anything.

Zann says the credit is fine, as is.

The province pays 50 per cent of a production's labour costs if it's shot in Nova Scotia. That goes up to 60 per cent for productions shot outside Halifax and 65 per cent for frequent users.

An online petition to preserve the tax credit has garnered more than 23,000 names.