UK Videogame Industry Might Get Government Help After All

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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UK Videogame Industry Might Get Government Help After All

The UK government has axed plans for tax cuts for the videogame industry, but a plan designed to attract more business to the country may be the next best thing.

At Prime Minister's Questions in London earlier today, Labour MP Jim McGovern, who represents part of the Scottish town of Dundee, where Realtime Worlds was based before it closed down, brought up the question of tax breaks for the videogame industry.

Prime Minister David Cameron responded by saying that there were no specific plans for gaming industry alone, but that the government planned to reduce corporation tax - a tax levied on the profits a company makes - to 24%, down from its current rate of 28%. Cameron says that this change will make Britain one of the most attractive places to do business in the world. These changes would be in line with what Liberal Democrat MP Thomas Brake suggested [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104881-U-K-Government-Giving-Help-to-the-Gaming-Industry-Doesnt-Add-Up] the government planned to do earlier in the week, by improving the infrastructure for UK businesses in general, rather than for any specific industry.

Dr Richard Wilson, CEO of trade association TIGA, has expressed disappointment at the government's response, however, saying that both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - the two parties that make up the coalition government - had backed the idea of tax credits for the industry before the election.

He pointed out that there was a certain degree of inconsistency in the government's tax policy, as it retained the tax credits for the film industry, adding that TIGA research showed that a specific tax break for the videogame industry would cost around £195 million, but generate more than twice that in revenue. He said that a cut in corporation tax was welcome, but that it would make very little difference to the smaller technology firms that weren't always in profit.

Source: Game Politics [http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/11/04/uk-may-simplify-corporate-taxes-lieu-games-tax-relief]


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Jamiemitsu

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Oct 25, 2009
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So, basically, the conservatives are considering giving people a fair deal for once? This is new...
 

findler

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Jun 19, 2009
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Not that tax cuts would have saved Realtime Worlds, but if this happens it will make all industry boom in GB, not just video games.
 

C95J

I plan to live forever.
Apr 10, 2010
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more business=more jobs

higher university fees=less qualified people.

something is not right about this plan...
 

Cheesebob

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Oct 31, 2008
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The current goverment going back on there pre election plans? Why am I not suprised?

Fucking Liberal Democrats
 
Feb 13, 2008
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BlackStar42 said:
Cut corporate tax and treble university fees. That's the Tories for you.
Exactly what Thatcher did last time. Trickle down economics don't work if the summit is wearing rain-catchers.
 

Cousin_IT

New member
Feb 6, 2008
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C95J said:
more business=more jobs

higher university fees=less qualified people.

something is not right about this plan...
changes to visa rules = more qualified foreign types dodging the immigration "cap" to tuk er jerbs!
 

C95J

I plan to live forever.
Apr 10, 2010
3,491
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Cousin_IT said:
C95J said:
more business=more jobs

higher university fees=less qualified people.

something is not right about this plan...
changes to visa rules = more qualified foreign types dodging the immigration "cap" to tuk er jerbs!
yeah, that works well but I still wish they hadn't raised uni fees.
 

SenseOfTumour

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Jul 11, 2008
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One great thing about the Lib Dems, they don't seem to just write their policies based on what was on the front page, and even tho Lembit Opek did many things to become a laughing stock, he stood up for the UK games industry, and shot down the idiot that is Keith Vaz by simple supplying facts to counter Vaz's fearmongering.

I still think it's a shame that Clegg joined the tories, I think he should have given em 4 years alone then walked into power solo while Cameron's evil was still fresh in the electorate's mind.

Slightly off topic, but I saw a clip of Vaz condemning the evils of Modern Warfare 2 in Parliament and begging people to get it banned to save the poor children from becoming murderers, and getting shot down in flames not only by the opposition but his own side, for talking such balls, one even telling him to stop getting all his opinions from the Daily Mail :D
 

AfterAscon

Tilting at WHARRGARBL
Nov 29, 2007
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BlackStar42 said:
Cut corporate tax and treble university fees. That's the Tories for you.
Labour were the party that introduced tuition fees and then almost trebled them in 2006.
 

AfroTree

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Feb 21, 2010
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Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
Nice, more buisness in the UK means I might actually get a job when I'm older...
I know the feeling..

also

Shaman King?
 
Jun 26, 2009
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The Disk Thrower said:
Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
Nice, more buisness in the UK means I might actually get a job when I'm older...
I know the feeling..

also

Shaman King?
Indeed, Shaman King. Yoh, specifically. I remembered it from five years ago and have started watching it again.
 

AfroTree

New member
Feb 21, 2010
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Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
The Disk Thrower said:
Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
Nice, more buisness in the UK means I might actually get a job when I'm older...
I know the feeling..

also

Shaman King?
Indeed, Shaman King. Yoh, specifically. I remembered it from five years ago and have started watching it again.
I see..

any good?
 
Jun 26, 2009
7,508
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The Disk Thrower said:
Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
The Disk Thrower said:
Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
Nice, more buisness in the UK means I might actually get a job when I'm older...
I know the feeling..

also

Shaman King?
Indeed, Shaman King. Yoh, specifically. I remembered it from five years ago and have started watching it again.
I see..

any good?
I like it, haven't managed to watch much today unfortunately...
[sub]I locked myself out of my house...[sub]
Again...[/sub][/sub]
 

Albino Boo

New member
Jun 14, 2010
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This isn't new, the cut in corporation tax was announced in the June budget as I stated in http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.208002-British-Game-Dev-Decries-Canadian-Vultures?page=2#7045556 and http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.242235-U-K-Government-Giving-Help-to-the-Gaming-Industry-Doesnt-Add-Up#8779061



SenseOfTumour said:
One great thing about the Lib Dems, they don't seem to just write their policies based on what was on the front page, and even tho Lembit Opek did many things to become a laughing stock, he stood up for the UK games industry, and shot down the idiot that is Keith Vaz by simple supplying facts to counter Vaz's fearmongering.
Lembit Opek is full blown spineless amoral retard. He fiddled his expenses and now works for that well know bastion of freedom Iranian state TV. He only backed video games because he thought there were votes in it. He was wrong.