The UK Government's decision to offer the games industry a tax break will only have an impact if steps are taken to ensure it's implemented in the right way.

That's the main conclusion drawn from trade association UKIE's assessment of the tax breaks, with the body having consulted a total of 221 individual companies involved in the industry before offering its assessment.

Working together

Indeed, much of UKIE's recommendations mirror those of fellow association TIGA – a conscious decision, according to UKIE, with the two bodies having worked together to deliver a consistent message to the Government.

As such, UKIE is calling for a 30 percent relief rate for all UK games development, with no minimum budget required for games to be eligible.

In much the same manner as TIGA, the body also believes the Government needs to take the release of additional material post launch into account, allowing developers to reclaim costs for the production of downloadable content.

UKIE also believes the Government should make room for voluntary contributions so companies can "invest in talent development and skills."

A matter of maths

According to UKIE CEO Dr. Jo Twist, the Government needs to avoid rushing into delivering the tax break before it has fully got to grips with what the development scene deliverrs to the UK economy in the first place.

It's an advisory given following a recent report published by Creative Scotland, which claimed that the games industry contributes nothing to the Scottish economy and employs only 200 people – figures already taken to task by many commentators.

"We also want to urge Government to effectively measure the true size of the games industry," said Twist.

"As the recent report from Creative Scotland highlighted, it is crucial that we have accurate data so that we can judge the success of this scheme and other Government policies."

[source: UKIE]