The ENCORES (Entertainments New Credit Opportunity for Relief & Economic Sustainability) Act
Be An #ArtsHero stands in full solidarity with the ENCORES Act, which was introduced to the U.S. House by Reps. Kind and Kelly and then to the Senate by Senators Carper and Tester in July 2020.
The ENCORES Act aims to provide relief to small, independent music and entertainment venues. Senator Carper stated, “Today, I am joining Senator Tester to introduce the ENCORES Act, a bill that will provide much-needed relief for our live music venues by creating a tax credit to help cover refunded ticket costs due to canceled events. Music venues are truly special places that have, for generations, provided our families with priceless memories. It's on us to do what we can to support this industry now so that we can come out on the other side of this pandemic and ensure that this will not be the day the music died.”
The bill will create a new tax credit for live entertainment venues with fewer than 500 employees to help cover the cost of refunded tickets for shows that were canceled due to the pandemic. To be eligible for the credit, businesses must have offered a voucher to customers first, and customers opted for a refund instead.