Aussie Government Deals Local Industry a Blow
Date: Wednesday, October 03 @ 10:27:03 UTC
Topic: Off Topic
The Games Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA) has seen its request for a 40 percent investment rebate for the local games industry denied.
The GDAA had submitted a request to Australia’s Federal Government asking that incentives announced for the Australian film industry in this year’s Budget be extended to the interactive entertainment sector.
However, that request was denied, reports Gamespot, and the game development body is now urging locals to directly petition the Federal Government for greater support.
"The Screen Media Support Package announced in the Budget has the potential to benefit screen content producers of all kinds. While games will not be eligible for the tax offsets announced as part of the Package, the introduction of a Location Offset is expected to have positive indirect flow-on effects for screen businesses, as digital and visual companies develop larger and more skilled workforces," said Communication, Information Technology, and the Arts Minister Senator Helen Coonan.
Members of the local industry are now being encouraged by the GDAA to fill out an online petition against the decision.
GDAA CEO Greg Bondar said previously that he believed the number of Australian games industry employees would more than double to 18,000 by 2010 if a rebate scheme was put into place. He also “conservatively” estimated “that a 40 percent rebate would lead to an additional $A25 million ($20.9 million) in new investment into original Australian titles each year.”
News-Source: http://www.next-gen.biz
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