Politics & Government

Christie Axes 'Jersey Shore' Tax Credit

The show, based in Seaside Heights, was the recipient of a tax credit. No more!

Gym, tan, laundry. And now, taxes.

Governor Chris Christie tossed a tax credit that could have saved the producers of the hit MTV show Jersey Shore $420,000. The governor vetoed the state Economic Development Authority’s award of film tax credits, citing a difficult fiscal climate and a need to use tax credits to support projects that "benefit the state."

"I have no interest in policing the content of such projects; however, as Chief Executive I am duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the State and its citizens," Christie wrote in a letter to Caren Franzini, the chief executive of the EDA.

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He went on to say that while the EDA board appeared to have felt compelled to award the credit to Jersey Shore, “I am not so constrained."

Christie has been a long-time critic of the show, first arguing on ABC's "Face the Nation" in July 2010 that most of the cast does not come from New Jersey and do not represent the state or its residents. Two cast members out of seven – Samantha Giancola and Deena Cortese, of Hazlet and New Egypt, respectively – hail from the Garden State.

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The show, which premiered in Dec. 2009, follows the cast members as they party in Seaside Heights and other Shore area municipalities. The cast has also been filmed in Miami and Florence, Italy, and most recently returned to Seaside Heights in July to tape a future season.


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