New Brunswick film producers are fighting to keep their share of business, they say, because a boosted film tax credit for Nova Scotia is bad news for the rest of the Maritimes.

Last week, Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald announced during the Atlantic Film Festival that the province would be increasing its film tax credit by 10 per cent.

Tim Hogan, founding partner of Dream Street Pictures in Moncton and a board member of the New Brunswick Producers Association, said it made him want to throw rotten tomatoes at MacDonald.

"It's always difficult when your next-door neighbour slaps a big neon sign up there and says 'We're now 10 per cent less expensive to do business in than New Brunswick is,'" Hogan said.

He said Nova Scotia's announcement is already affecting deals in the works, but New Brunswick producers don't want to get into a race with Nova Scotia.

Though the rival tax credit could be seen as a setback, Hogan said the NBPA recently came up with a proposal for the provincial government to make New Brunswick more competitive, and the top recommendation had nothing to do with the province's own tax credit.

One solution Hogan said the association will suggest is increased funding for the development of more television show ideas, which could increase the province's chance of conceiving and selling a hit.

"Development was actually one of the big things," he said. "In television, for one, a hit show like Friends, for example, you have to develop 25 shows like it, and the other 24 never make it to air."

Hogan said New Brunswick film does have advantages over Nova Scotia — it has strong English and French producers, and since the film community is smaller, it can react to opportunities more quickly.

Hogan said New Brunswick producers will meet to discuss their strategy in a couple of weeks.