Opinion

Upstaging New York

Never mind giving your regards to Broadway. Albany is doing it for you — using your tax dollars for a nice new subsidy.

As part of the new state budget, Broadway shows that rehearse in upstate theaters will be eligible for cash grants worth 25 percent of their costs. It’s the latest extension of the philosophy behind Albany’s handouts-for-Hollywood program, a $420 million-a-year bribe to keep movie and TV production in New York.

While such goodies often result in great photo ops and increased campaign contributions for pols, they rarely make economic sense for taxpayers. And if Maryland’s example is any indication, it can lead to some truly bizarre politics.

There, in a scheme that seems straight out of “House of Cards,” the popular Netflix series has squeezed $26 million in “incentives” over its two seasons of filming. But when Maryland signaled it was going to reduce its spending on such credits, the show’s producers wrote the governor saying they would pack up and move out if they didn’t get more.

In response, a state lawmaker moved a bill to seize the show’s set under eminent domain, calling it a response worthy of “House of Cards” star Frank Underwood. Underwood himself (i.e., actor Kevin Spacey) was then dispatched to pose with the pols for selfies at an Annapolis bar.

Needless to say, Maryland’s Senate then OK’d legislation to up the tax-credit ceiling to $18.5 million. A House of Delegates committee held a hearing Wednesday.

Question: If Jimmy Fallon ever demands a bigger subsidy, will Albany move to seize the set of “The Tonight Show”?