Tiga - the peak body for UK games developers - has laid its tax break proposals on the table. They're not outrageous.
"We're hoping to see an announcement from the chancellor in the pre-budget statement on 9 December," The Guardian reports Tiga chairman Richard Wilson as saying, "with a commitment to a games tax relief in the March 2010 budget, and we hope that after the general election, whichever party wins will then implement it. Because we think the economic arguments are so convincing, and because government ministers have made much of the fact that they want to support digital creative industries, we are cautiously optimistic that they'll give it to us."
So, just how much do the game developers want? And how much will the tax payer get back?
"Our proposals would cost the Treasury £192m over a five-year period. However, over that same period it would generate or safeguard £415m in tax receipts, encourage or promote new investments to the tune of £450m, and safeguard or create up to 3,500 graduate level jobs.
"This £192m, although pretty small for the Treasury, would have a disproportionally positive impact for the industry. It'll guarantee, over the next five years, that we'll see a 2-4% growth annually for the UK games industry. It'll help to ensure we remain one of the world's leading game producers, and it'll help to confirm the UK as the home of a leading digital creative industry."
Given that managers of the failed and now tax-payer funded Royal Bank of Scotland are threatening to resign unless they can pay £1.5BILLION in bonuses (having so far not repaid the £45BILLION) provided them, Tiga's request seems fair enough.
Full piece is over here.
"We're hoping to see an announcement from the chancellor in the pre-budget statement on 9 December," The Guardian reports Tiga chairman Richard Wilson as saying, "with a commitment to a games tax relief in the March 2010 budget, and we hope that after the general election, whichever party wins will then implement it. Because we think the economic arguments are so convincing, and because government ministers have made much of the fact that they want to support digital creative industries, we are cautiously optimistic that they'll give it to us."
So, just how much do the game developers want? And how much will the tax payer get back?
"Our proposals would cost the Treasury £192m over a five-year period. However, over that same period it would generate or safeguard £415m in tax receipts, encourage or promote new investments to the tune of £450m, and safeguard or create up to 3,500 graduate level jobs.
"This £192m, although pretty small for the Treasury, would have a disproportionally positive impact for the industry. It'll guarantee, over the next five years, that we'll see a 2-4% growth annually for the UK games industry. It'll help to ensure we remain one of the world's leading game producers, and it'll help to confirm the UK as the home of a leading digital creative industry."
Given that managers of the failed and now tax-payer funded Royal Bank of Scotland are threatening to resign unless they can pay £1.5BILLION in bonuses (having so far not repaid the £45BILLION) provided them, Tiga's request seems fair enough.
Full piece is over here.
Companies:
TIGA
Read More Like This