Paige Winfield at Old Dominion Watchdog reports that Virginia lawmakers are considering giving taxpayer money to film producers in order to woe movie makers to town.

More money for production companies means more ripples of wealth through Virginia, said Terry Stroud, president of the Virginia Production Alliance—the trade organization behind the state’s film industry.

“If you can get these films to come here, the amount of money they pour into the community is just incredible,” Stroud said.

But some analysts say Virginia is just stepping into a financial drain just like many other states before it.

David Zin, economic analyst for the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency, doesn’t deny that private business in his state has benefitted from the 40 percent, no-cap tax credit offered to production companies since 2008. But compare what the state’s handing out to what it’s getting back, and Michigan comes out a big loser, Zin said.

So far, the cash-strapped state has given production companies about $150 million. For every one of those dollars, the state is only getting back 10 cents, Zin said.