Allistair Darling, that funny guy who lives in #11 and allegedly cultivates weevils in his eyebrows, has set out plans for tax breaks for British entertainment industries, of which the computertronic amusement industry is part.
This basically means that if a game does well, they pay less tax or, if a game tanks, they can claim a relief bond to cover some of the loss.
The news was well received by the TIGA, who proposed the system adopted. CEO Richard Wilson had the following to say.
Games tax relief will increase employment, investment and innovation in the UK videogames sector
…
Our research shows that games tax relief over a five year period should create or protect 3,550 graduate level jobs, increase or safeguard £457 million in development expenditure and encourage developers to adopt new business models and create new intellectual property.
Games tax relief will ensure that the UK remains a world leading developer of video games. Games tax relief is good for the UK video games industry, good for UK consumers and good for the UK economy.”
To qualify for the relief, the game must be culturally British, fostering in-country development talent and reflecting British culture, innovation, language & location, amongst others. Predictable, Twitter then exploded with the trending topic #culturallybritishtaxbreakgames, the best of which include…
- The Secret of Barry Island
- Need For Speed: London Underground
- LittleBigPrescott
- Illegal Aliens vs Sexual Predator (one of ours!)
- Batman: Arkham Asylum Seekers
- A Half-Life Less Ordinary
- NHS: Denied Ops
