Gamers’ Voice Joins With TIGA to Lobby For Tax Relief
After UK tax relief for the videogame industry was shelved in the recent Lib-Con budget, industry groups have been calling for a rethink of the plans, which would cost £192 million a year, but would, according to some estimates, bring in £415 million in tax receipts. Tom Watson MP set up a group called Gamers’ Voice in November 2009, a Facebook group with over 17,000 members.Through this, MPs have been emailed about an Early Day Motion (a motion for debate in the Commons) being brought up in Parliament by SNP MP Stewart Hosie. The EDM reads that: “This House condemns the decision by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to abandon plans for tax relief for the computer games industry.” As a Scottish MP, he also notes that it will “affect Scotland disproportionately, as Dundee alone accounts for 10 per cent of the total UK computer games industry.”
The EDM has already had 15 MPs sign it since it was tabled on June 23rd. TIGA CEO Richard Wilson appluaded the group and said that they “will be working closely together to obtain games tax relief” and that “TIGA [...] intends on leading the campaign for games tax relief or a similar measure.”
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