UK Conservatives Promise Game Dev Tax Breaks If Elected

In the wake of the promise last week that the UK's current Labour government will introduce video game development tax breaks, the opposing Conservative Party has pledged to introduce its own tax breaks if elected this May. Parliament announced that the industry tax incentives will be part of its 2010 budget, a move that was warmly welcome by game development trade groups like Tiga, which has strenuously campaigned for such measures for years. Shadow Minister for Culture Ed Vaizey, a Conservative MP, had previously indicated general support for game development tax breaks, but since the Labour budget announcement, he has used firmer language. According to a Develop report, Vaizey specifically said his party would introduce breaks "in the Conservatives' first budget" if brought to power. The UK's next generation election will likely occur this coming May, and recent polls have reflected growing Conservative support. Vaizey denigrated Labour's recent tax break announcement, blaming the UK game industry's decline on the party's leadership, and likening the incentives to "thirteen years of marriage, with your partner being shown the door and he or she turns around and says 'I can change.'"