The Labour Government of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has given financial assistance to the video game industry, but it doesn't know how much, according to gamesindustry.biz.
Conservative MP Philip Davies (left) addressed the question to the government's Department of Culture, Media and Sports earlier this week. Parliamentary under-secretary Barbara Follett provided the response:
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We do not have the specific figures broken down by sector or year.
Richard Wilson, CEO of U.K. game developers group Tiga, criticized the government's confusion:
The government needs good quality information if it is to implement plans that benefit economic sectors. However, the government's admission today that it supports the videogames sector but doesn't record the amount of financial support means that it cannot effectively measure its impact.
This is a great shame - the government needs to record and assess its financial assessments in order to make better policy in the future.
Comments
Re: Labour Govt. Can't Say How Much Money It's Given to ...
I love it. Yet another government gets caught with their pants down! I really don't think this is like some critical moment. It happens all the time. Governments look at who pays their bills, then they do favours. Subtle favors, but still. You know the expression you pat my back and I'll pat yours? Yes, that is politics. The fact that the video game industry recieved something tells me that the industry is important to their economy. Economy is everything right?
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Re: Labour Govt. Can't Say How Much Money It's Given to ...
Considering the bulk of that money is probably in tax breaks (as opposed to grants etc) I can see why they wouldn't be able to pull those numbers out of the air if they had not already generated them.
That is not to say that they shouldn't have these numbers.. it is important to know exactly what effect tax breaks are having.... but I can understand why it isn't as simple as 'see how much money we handed out'.
Tax break != Grant
Re: Labour Govt. Can't Say How Much Money It's Given to ...
Ah its alright, the taxpayers here will be happy to pay for it.
M.P.s lose (*cough* waste *cough*) money all the time.
New kitchen? Sure, just jam it on expenses and let taxpayers pay.
Porn movies...Sure, pushing it a little, but just jam it on expenses and let taxpayers pay.
No wonder progress is so shite here in the UK. M.P.s dont actually know what the heck is going on half the time. They get paid hundreds of thousands of pounds, but dont really do much that actually benefits people. If any 'normal' person in any regular job, getting paid 10% of their wages knew as little as they did, they'd be sacked. If they 'accidentally' or otherwise used company money to buy a new kitchen or rent porn, they'd be sacked. Wow.. what a life it must be to be an MP.
Re: Labour Govt. Can't Say How Much Money It's Given to ...
It's not all they lose. Laptops on trains with personal information of UK citizens is a big favourite too...
Re: Labour Govt. Can't Say How Much Money It's Given to ...
Now's not exactly the time to be losing track of money now is it?