Jon Voight, Allies Propose ‘American Cultural Test’ and Tax Plan to ‘Make Hollywood Great Again’

A controversial proposal aimed at reshaping the American film and television industries, spearheaded by actor Jon Voight and submitted to former President Donald Trump, includes provisions for a mandatory “American cultural test” and a suite of new tax incentives and tariffs. The plan, titled “Make Hollywood Great Again,” details of which were published in a draft obtained by Deadline, follows Trump’s recent declaration regarding potential tariffs on foreign-made films.

The initiative was presented to Mr. Trump at his Mar-A-Lago resort by a team comprising the 86-year-old Voight, who was previously named a “special ambassador to fix Hollywood” by the former president; Steven Paul, a special adviser; and Scott Karol, president of SP Media Group/Atlas Comics. The proposal outlines a comprehensive strategy to influence production location, content, and financial structures within the entertainment sector.

Proposed Financial Incentives and Credits

At the core of the “Make Hollywood Great Again” plan is a system of financial incentives designed to encourage domestic production. The proposal includes a 10 percent federal tax incentive applicable to all film and television productions, a measure intended to lower production costs and make the United States a more attractive location for shoots.

In addition to this federal benefit, the draft details a 20 percent credit specifically for states without existing film or TV incentives. This aims to stimulate production activity in areas of the country that currently lack the financial mechanisms to attract the industry. The plan also proposes separate incentives tailored for various segments of the industry value chain, including cinema owners, production facilities, visual effects teams, and artificial intelligence (AI) development related to production.

The ‘American Cultural Test’ Requirement

Perhaps the most debated element of the proposal is the demand that productions meet a minimum threshold American “cultural test.” This concept is explicitly compared in the draft to a similar test currently utilized in the United Kingdom. While the specific criteria for the proposed American test are not fully detailed in the summary, the comparison to the UK model suggests it could involve evaluating content based on elements such as storyline, character representation, location of production, or the nationality of key creative personnel, with the goal of promoting themes and narratives deemed consistent with American culture or values.

Implementing such a test would represent a significant shift in how productions qualify for federal incentives, potentially introducing content-based criteria into the economic equation for filmmakers and studios.

Tariffs on Offshore Productions

The plan also addresses the practice of US-based productions filming abroad to take advantage of foreign incentives. To counteract this, the draft proposes a tariff equal to 120 percent of the foreign incentive received if a production that could feasibly be produced in the United States is instead shot in a foreign country where it receives a production tax incentive. The document cites a hypothetical example, ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ filming in the UK, to illustrate the type of scenario this tariff would target.

This punitive measure is intended to make filming domestically significantly more attractive than pursuing foreign subsidies, aiming to repatriate production jobs and economic activity.

Context and Driving Forces

The submission of this proposal follows Mr. Trump’s public comments on Sunday, May 4, wherein he expressed his desire to impose tariffs on foreign-made films. This indicates a potential alignment between the former president’s protectionist views on trade and the goals of the “Make Hollywood Great Again” initiative, which seeks to leverage government policy to bolster the domestic entertainment industry.

Jon Voight’s involvement, as a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump and his designated “special ambassador” for the industry, underscores the political dimension of the plan. The collaboration with figures like Steven Paul and Scott Karol suggests an attempt to combine political backing with industry perspectives, although the broader reaction from Hollywood and policymakers remains to be seen.

The comprehensive nature of the proposal, touching on tax policy, content regulation through the cultural test, and international filming practices via tariffs, signals a significant attempt to leverage federal power to steer the direction and economics of the American film and television sectors, aiming to fulfil its stated goal of making Hollywood “great again.”