Australia shelled out more than $100 million of taxpayer money for Furiosa in tax rebates.

Australian authorities likely shelled out more than $100 million of taxpayer money for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — an example of how the country’s tax rebates can spiral out of control, a Brisbane-based media professor argued.

The film — which had a $220 million budget, making it the most expensive movie ever made in Australia — received taxpayer funding through tax rebates aimed at luring productions to boost Australia’s economy.

Lawmakers are debating whether to approve unlimited 30% rebates on local spending for productions filmed there.

But “uncapped location offsets are risky,” Amanda Lotz wrote in Nikkei, and the provision doesn’t require the use of local talent. “This will not deliver Australian stories and will likely make it harder to tell such stories as local producers compete with deep Hollywood pockets.”

https://www.semafor.com/article/06/17/2024/furiosa-australia-tax-rebate-scrutiny