Analysis: Trump’s Hollywood Tariffs and “Incentives War” Impact Streaming Levy at KVIFF

Politicians from Prague made a splash at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) when Czech Minister of Finance Zbyněk Stanjura and Czech Minister of Culture Martin Baxa showed up to talk about the recent bump-up in Czech production incentives that took effect earlier this year. During a press conference, they discussed the growing competition for film and TV shoots, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump’s connection to Hollywood.

Starting in January, the Czech Republic increased its production incentives from 20 percent to 25 percent, with the rate for animated and digitally produced projects jumping to 35 percent.

When asked about the competitiveness of these incentives, Stanjura mentioned that even if there’s a financial difference between what Czech Republic offers compared to other countries, the country’s top-notch infrastructure and skilled professionals help bridge that gap. “We also raised the cap for tax incentives, so I believe we have all the conditions to be successful,” he added. With Trump’s talk of possible tariffs on foreign films and efforts to attract more productions to the U.S., the Czech financial representatives are remaining optimistic.