2 JULY 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Government has failed to consider the interests of taxpayers in negotiating New Zealand as the filming location for a new Lord of the Rings series, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “Subsidy rates for major productions in New Zealand have reached as high as 25 percent. That means, if Amazon spends its $1.5 billion budget in New Zealand, taxpayers could be bled to the tune of $375 million in corporate welfare cheques.”

“Securing New Zealand as the location has apparently involved a tough contest with Scotland. We should be very wary of the Government trying to win international bidding wars using taxpayer money. It’s a great way for a mega-corporate like Amazon to play Governments off one another, but it’s a race to the bottom for the poor taxpayer.”

“It’s frustrating that, as with the previous Government, our politicians have been throwing promises of taxpayer money at film companies without any consultation with taxpayers. The least David Parker can do now is confirm just how much taxpayer money he has promised to give to Amazon.”

ENDS

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