Poll: Should 'Jerseylicous,' 'Housewives' Get Incentives For Filming in State?

While MTV's "Jersey Shore" received a $420,000 state tax credit for filming in New Jersey, two other popular reality shows that film in the state never applied for the incentive, a New Jersey Economic Development Authority official said Friday.

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" and "Jerseylicious," shows that feature cast members from Bridgewater, Montville, Franklin Lakes and other towns, were not among the six film projects that were awarded the credits on Wednesday and the state does not have any applications on file from them, said Laura Jones, director of communication for the authority.

NBC Universal, which owns Bravo and Style, the networks that air the shows, did not respond to e-mails Friday morning asking why they didn't apply for the credit.

New Jersey established the Film Tax Credit Transfer Program in 2006 to give production companies an incentive to film in New Jersey. The law provides a tax credit for production expenses incurred in the state, with $10 million in tax credits available each year until 2015. No credits were awarded last year due to legislation suspending the program.

Credit recipients must show that at least 60 percent of the film's total production expenses, excluding post-production costs, are for services performed and items used in New Jersey, according to a memo from Caren S. Franzini, CEO of the Economic Development Authority.

Would you support "Jerseylicious" and "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" having incentives to film in the state? Tell us in the comments.