Chancellor Alastair Darling. Come on, Darling.. the games people want tax breaks.
Tiga - the UK games developers trade body - and the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which represents the industry) have started a new campaign to lobby the government for tax breaks.
The campaign comes with a rather chilling title, Games Up?. It has gained the support of Frontier, Sony Computer Entertainment and Eidos games studios.
According to the official info, the campaign "is designed to highlight the opportunities that the video games industry offers to the UK’s economy and society and to alert policy makers to the competitive threats that could stymie the industry in the future if ignored."
Tiga's CEO, Richard Wilson, said among other things, "We have the largest video games industry in Europe; we make a positive contribution to the country’s balance of payments; and we sustain 10,000 highly skilled jobs around the country.
“However, our industry faces challenges that can no longer be ignored: in particular, heavily subsidised competition from abroad and skill shortages at home.
“Tiga will work with other key players in the video games industry through the Games Up? campaign to argue for a tax break for games production and for measures to improve the quantity and quality of graduates relevant to the games industry."
Calling for a tax break when rising fuel costs are forcing many other not so creative industries to the wall is suitable timing is open to question. It may well prove to be a simple piece of PR for under-pressure Chancellor, Alastair Darling to rebuff this campaign.
The campaign is also already showing a split in the UK industry between those who feel that we require a levelling of the playing field in the face of incentives from Canda, France, Australia and even the north American state of Georgia - and those who claim a 'free market' will decide.
It is encouraging, however, to see the two industry bodies coming together to take what should be the primary creative industry's case to the top level of government.
You should also check out Develop Magazine's coverage of this story.
The campaign comes with a rather chilling title, Games Up?. It has gained the support of Frontier, Sony Computer Entertainment and Eidos games studios.
According to the official info, the campaign "is designed to highlight the opportunities that the video games industry offers to the UK’s economy and society and to alert policy makers to the competitive threats that could stymie the industry in the future if ignored."
Tiga's CEO, Richard Wilson, said among other things, "We have the largest video games industry in Europe; we make a positive contribution to the country’s balance of payments; and we sustain 10,000 highly skilled jobs around the country.
“However, our industry faces challenges that can no longer be ignored: in particular, heavily subsidised competition from abroad and skill shortages at home.
“Tiga will work with other key players in the video games industry through the Games Up? campaign to argue for a tax break for games production and for measures to improve the quantity and quality of graduates relevant to the games industry."
Calling for a tax break when rising fuel costs are forcing many other not so creative industries to the wall is suitable timing is open to question. It may well prove to be a simple piece of PR for under-pressure Chancellor, Alastair Darling to rebuff this campaign.
The campaign is also already showing a split in the UK industry between those who feel that we require a levelling of the playing field in the face of incentives from Canda, France, Australia and even the north American state of Georgia - and those who claim a 'free market' will decide.
It is encouraging, however, to see the two industry bodies coming together to take what should be the primary creative industry's case to the top level of government.
You should also check out Develop Magazine's coverage of this story.
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p 29 May 2008 00:09
1/1
Spong said "Calling for a tax break when rising fuel costs are forcing many other not so creative industries to the wall is suitable timing is open to question. It may well prove to be a simple piece of PR for under-pressure Chancellor, Alastair Darling to rebuff this campaign."
Well they might have to wait a while to ask for anything then.
Spong said "The campaign is also already showing a split in the UK industry between those who feel that we require a levelling of the playing field in the face of incentives from Canda, France, Australia and even the north American state of Georgia - and those who claim a 'free market' will decide."
Who in the UK games industry, is asking to be martyred in the name of a free market, when the market isn’t free? Or put another way. How do you stop Canada, France, Australia and state of Georgia form trying to attract hi-tec industries, if they think it’s a good idea to do so?
Well they might have to wait a while to ask for anything then.
Spong said "The campaign is also already showing a split in the UK industry between those who feel that we require a levelling of the playing field in the face of incentives from Canda, France, Australia and even the north American state of Georgia - and those who claim a 'free market' will decide."
Who in the UK games industry, is asking to be martyred in the name of a free market, when the market isn’t free? Or put another way. How do you stop Canada, France, Australia and state of Georgia form trying to attract hi-tec industries, if they think it’s a good idea to do so?