Busan: Jordan Increases Tax Incentive to 25%

Naman Ramachandran

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Jordan’s Royal Film Commission has raised the upper limit of the cash rebate on eligible productions filming in the Kingdom to 25%, from the current 20%. The agency made the announcement on Sunday at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market on Sunday.

Legendary Entertainment’s ‘Dune’ is one of the first Hollywood productions taking advantage of the revised incentive. The incentive also extends to the streaming companies.

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The rebate scheme now ranges from 10-25% on all qualified expenses incurred within Jordan on film, television, web series and radio production, commercials, photography, electronic games and animation. The expenses should not exceed 75% of the production’s overall value.

The scheme requires a minimum spend of $1 million. The maximum rebate granted to a foreign production has now been lifted to $2 million, and is provided to a production services company registered in Jordan. To qualify, the production must employ at least 50 Jordanian crew members and train 20 interns.

The rebate is in addition to the tax exemption system under which there are sales tax exemptions for products and services purchased within Jordan; a customs taxes and duties exemption for equipment and material imported into Jordan; and exemptions of taxes on salaries and fees for non-Jordanian cast and crew members.

“We value the economic impact that television and film has in the industry in the country, and we facilitate developing our local industry through regional workshops and training,” The Royal Film Commission’s U.S. Liaison Officer Justin O. Cooper said at the announcement event. “We have breathtaking, diverse landscapes that easily double for many other Middle Eastern countries. We have a highly skilled crew base and many of them are English speaking and we offer a wide range of production services in the country. I am often asked, is Jordan safe to shoot in? And yes, it is one of the most stable nations in the region.”

David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” established Jordan on the global locations map in 1962. Since then the country has been a popular destination for international productions.

In 2019 so far, Kaweh Modiri’s Netherlands-Germany-Denmark production “Mitra” shot in Jordan. As did Blessy Thomas’ Indian film “Goat Days,” Niel’s Oplev’s Denmark production “Daniel,” Khaled Elgahar’s “Shihana” from Saudi Arabia, and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.” Several Netflix productions have also shot in Jordan.

 

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