Gamers’ Voice are working with TIGA in their efforts to persuade the Coalition Government to introduce video games tax relief in the UK, with the two organisations planning several joint strategies.

Gamers’ Voice has begun emailing MP’s asking for their support by signing Stewart Hosie MP Early Day Motion “COMPUTER GAMES TAX RELIEF” We will be running a list on our website detailing all those MPs who’ve responded and signed the new EDM.

TIGA CEO Dr. Richard Wilson said:

“Games tax relief will be good for the UK economy, for the UK games industry and UK consumers.

As the new Government’s Emergency Budget approaches, set for the 22nd of June, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, TIGA, and the worldwide pure-play online and console game publisher, Activision, met with Members of Parliament to restate the case for the urgent introduction of Games Tax Relief that was announced in the last Budget.

They met Don Foster MP (Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport in the last Parliament), Jim McGovern MP (Labour MP for Dundee West), and Stewart Hosie MP (SNP MP for Dundee East).

Dr Richard Wilson
CEO of TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry:

The UK video games industry is important part of the economy, contributing ?1 billion to the UK’s Gross Domestic Product, sustaining 27,000 jobs, including over 9,000 highly skilled roles in games development. The video games are culturally important: 73% of the population regularly play video games and video games interact with other forms of media, for example, inspiring film, television and music. Video games also have the potential to play a valuable role in mainstream education, in training and in workforce development.

The trade association which represents the game industry in the United Kingdom explained today that the announcement of the Government’s intention to introduce a sector of specific Games Tax Relief for the United Kingdom video games industry was a decisive breaktrhough. TIGA’s Games Tax Relief would be really good for the games industry in the United Kingdom, and the consumers plus the wider UK economy.

Dr Richard Wilson TIGA CEO stated:
“This is an inspired decision. In backing TIGA’s Games Tax Relief the Government has chosen the future over the past, growth over decline, success over failure. Games Tax Relief will increase employment, investment and innovation in the UK video games sector.

The trade association which represents the games industry of the United Kingdom, TIGA, announced today that there was an urgent need to support measures to sustain export oriented and high skilled business sectors of the economy. In this case, the video games industry, the policy makers should support the introduction of Games Tax Relief at the earliest opportunity. Following the publication of the National Strategic Skills which showed that since 2001 the fastest growing jobs in the United Kingdom include “Conversation and Environmental Protection Officers” (up 124 per cent), “Leisure and Theme Park Attendants” (up 102 per cent) and “Beauticians and Related Occupations” (up 63 per cent).

The trade association which represents the games industry in the United Kingdom, TIGA, explained today that it welcomed some news that Don Foster, The Liberal Democrat’s Shadow Secretary of State for Culture and many of his colleagues were “Sympathetic” to TIGA’s proposed Games Tax Relief.

Comments were made by Don Foster in a gameindstustry.biz interview on 17th of March, 2010. He stated in the interview that he personally will be delighted if Games Tax Relief was introduced in the Budget on 24th of March, and that he will be doing everything he can to make sure nobody in his party proposes stripping it out again.

The trade association which represents the United Kingdom games industry said that the United Kingdom should aim to increase the proportion of Gross Domestic Product invested in higher education in two ways. The first way includes maintaining in real terms public expenditure on tertiary education at 2009 levels and then increasing it as the Government’s deficit is brought under control. The second one includes eliminating the cap on tuition fees. Tuition fees for students studying mathematics and computer science degrees should be set a competitive rate in comparison to other tuition fees in order to incentivize the study of these subjects. TIGA’s comments are responses to the Lord Browne of Madingley’s review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance.