Phew, Britannia – tax break boost welcomed

Oour specialist retail chain is in dire straits, and Britsoft publishers are extinct.

But the Coalition Government’s games tax break will re-establish British talent on the global stage, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has told MCV.

He said the Government chose a wider subsidy to attract big firms to make more content in the UK.

Some big companies made it clear they would consider investing heavily in the UK if there was a tax break,” said the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries.

Big TV companies on the West Coast of the US said they would be interested too, as did the animation companies.”

The previous Labour Government first proposed a tax break in 2010 – but the Coalition Government swept it aside.

The case grew in strength over recent years to convince the Treasury,” said Vaizey. But don’t expect generous handouts like those in Canada.

We’ll never quite get to the level Canada has,” he added. But a lot of big games companies said to us that they are still interested. They see the UK as a potential European hub – that plus the UK tax break plus our mix of skills and creativity, and the UK looks pretty impressive.”

This is a great first step and should put the UK in a stronger position to compete with other countries offering incentives for video games production.”
Bobby Kotick – CEO, Activision Blizzard

As major investors in UK TV, film and video games production, we welcome all measures aimed at supporting the UK to further develop and sustain its strong position in these key creative sectors.”
Josh Berger – President & MD, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland and Spain

The UK has always been a leading market in gaming, and with this support we can continue to be competitive within the global landscape.”
Rob Cooper – UK MD, Ubisoft