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Should I contribute to the Scottish Parliament’s enquiry into video game tax breaks?

By on August 20, 2010

Scott Purdie, a recent purchaser of How to Publish a Game, pointed me in the direction of this Scottish Parliament select committee. I’m considering whether to give a submission that argues that tax breaks are bad for the long term health of the UK games economy.

What do you think? Should I step up and be heard?

The Video Games Industry in Scotland

This inquiry will examine the potential impact on Scotland’s video games industry of the recent announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to abolish tax relief for this sector, and to examine alternative financial incentives for the industry.

Terms of reference

The Committee will be looking at:

  • The contribution made by the Scottish video games industry to both the Scottish and UK economy
  • What consultation was held by the UK Government with the industry before the decision was made to abolish a Games Tax Relief
  • The level of tax breaks or incentives offered in competitor countries
  • What potential impact the decision to abolish Games Tax Relief will make on the video games industry in Scotland
  • Alternative financial incentives for the industry

The Committee welcomes written evidence from interested parties on any, or all, aspects of the inquiry by 10 September. The Committee will be arranging public oral evidence sessions, and details of these will be announced in due course.

Submissions should be in Word or rich text format and sent by e-mail to [email protected]. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

Submissions must address the terms of the inquiry and should not as a rule exceed 2,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document should include an executive summary.

Inquiry News

About Nicholas Lovell

Nicholas is the founder of Gamesbrief, a blog dedicated to the business of games. It aims to be informative, authoritative and above all helpful to developers grappling with business strategy. He is the author of a growing list of books about making money in the games industry and other digital media, including How to Publish a Game and Design Rules for Free-to-Play Games, and Penguin-published title The Curve: thecurveonline.com