Tax Breaks for the UK Games Industry?

[Spatial]

The rumours on the net are that it was Ubisoft.

Apparently (take your salt pinches now) the grounds for them lobbying against it would have given the UK an unfair advantage over other nations.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/35224/Global-publisher-sabotaged-UK-games-tax-breaks

[abigsmurf]

And it has nothing to do with Ubisoft having their HQ in the tax break friendly Canada not being able to lure away talent from the rest of the world.

[Flabio]

If it was Ubi then they're being extremely duplicitious:

http://www.ukwirednews.com/news.php/69307-Budget-Ubisoft-says-tax-breaks-needed-for-gaming-firms

[Tig]

I like the way the story has taken on an element of murder-mystery

[abigsmurf]

If it was Ubi then they're being extremely duplicitious:

http://www.ukwirednews.com/news.php/...r-gaming-firms

Whichever company that did this wasn't exactly the most moral to begin with. What they say to the press could be entirely at odds with the closed room deals they did.

Ubisoft are the only large company I can think of with no presence in the UK to benefit from this. Well, them and Nintendo but Nintendo wouldn't gain anything from this..

Incidentally, I'm thirsting for a FOIA request. Anyone have the exact details of when this decision was made so I can make one?

[Number45]

Ubisoft own Reflections in Newcastle I believe, so they're not completely without a presence in the UK.

Wonder if we'll ever find out who this was?

[abigsmurf]

Well, I've just sent a FOIA request to the house of commons specifically asking for the minutes of the meetings where it was decided to scrap this scheme, as well as the advice provided by the companies in question.

They're required to respond within 25 days (by which time this could all be revealed anyway). It's possible they may not give any revealing info (or they send me a 1000 page, incredibly dull tome) but it's worth a shot.

[Number45]

Make sure they send it in digital form so you can CTRL+F the information you need nice and quickly.

[abigsmurf]

Charles Cecil has come out and said "foreign companies" were responsible for the sabotage.

The fact he didn't name names would perhaps suggest it's a publisher he has or hopes to work with.

[abigsmurf]

An update on my FOIA request!

Dear Mr Hall,

Thank you for your request for information which is copied below. The information you require is not held by the House of Commons. However you may wish to consider contacting HM Treasury

Yay for political pass the parcel!

[Hohum]

Going to contact them instead then? Would be interested to see the outcome.

[abigsmurf]

Yeah sent an email off to them now.

Really wouldn't surprise me if they fob me off on another department.

[JP]

The Culture Minister Ed Vaizey spoke at Develop conference in Brighton earlier today.

[abigsmurf]

Sidedstepped the piece of information most people wanted to hear: why it the tax breaks were abandoned to begin with despite being a pre-election pledge for both parties.

I imagine most competant CEOs already knew about the other measures he talked about.

[FelixofMars]

Really? I went on a course that was suitable for entering the games industry almost a decade ago. The students still coming from the courses are still as clueless as when I left. I am guessing most of them are not directly gong overseas. These courses are still pretty much useless on their own on getting into the industry or for even understanding what is expected.

I always hear the same line, the courses are okay but do not prepare you for a real job and that they learn more in 3 month working than a 3-4 year course.

I know this is not the crux of the thread but I don't expect it will make much difference. One thing is for sure there are too many degrees and not enough jobs full stop.

It's depressing to watch the bleak Consolevania Scottish industry piece from a few years back and realise that none of the benefits that were luring devs to other countries are in place over here yet. Between this and the way that the universities are currently being toyed with it'll be a miracle if the UK is able to sustain its industry at all. We'll be overtaken by capable graduates with better education and qualifications and the next generations of prospective industry workers will find it hard to compete, especially if they're forced to seek jobs overseas.