TIGA Start-Up, Scale-Up & Grow Conference will help studios take full advantage of the Video Games Expenditure Credit
VGEC specialist Luke Thomas of Plus Accounting to provide expert guidance
TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry, will host the Start-Up, Scale-Up & Grow Conference on Wednesday April 30th. It is a one-day event, taking place at the home of TIGA charity partner, The Passage in London, and is aimed at providing support, advice and inspiration to start-ups and studios looking to scale up and expand.
Find out more and book your tickets here.
The Conference will host over 25 speakers discussing key issues tackling the obstacles to launching, expanding and growing a studio.
Luke Thomas (pictured), Managing Director of Plus Accounting will be hosting the keynote Making the Most of Video Game Expenditure Credit.
Plus Accounting offers specialist accounting and tax expertise to the Video Games Industry, with a particular focus on Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) and Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) claims. Over the years, Luke has built an impressive portfolio of more than 200 video games companies.
Plus Accounting is a proud member of TIGA and last year was a finalist for the Best Tax and Accountancy Supplier category at the TIGA Games Industry Awards. The company also received a nomination for ‘Best Business Support Service’ at the 2024 Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards.
Thomas’ presentation will kick off a full-day of insightful and inspirational sessions during the Start-Up, Scale-Up and Grow Conference, and we will be spotlighting each of them during the coming weeks.
TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson OBE said: “Video Game Expenditure Credit is a vital catalyst for growing game studios. VGEC effectively reduces the cost of games development because it allows developers to claim back a proportion of qualifying production costs. This in turn encourages investment and enables developers to employ more skilled staff and make better games.
“I am delighted to welcome Luke Thomas, a respected specialist on the subject, to help delegates to the Start-Up, Scale-Up & Grow Conference understand how to take full advantage of VGEC – and, ultimately, enable their studios to grow, expand and succeed.”
Tickets for the Start-Up, Scale-Up & Grow Conference are free to TIGA members, with non-member prices starting from £59. Tickets include lunch and refreshments. Find out more here.
TIGA played the critical role in securing the introduction of Video Games Tax Relief, now being replaced with VGEC. TIGA has recommended that the UK Government enhance the Video Games Expenditure Credit, stating recently in its submission to HM Treasury that doing so would be the single most important measure that the Government can take to drive investment, employment and studio growth in the UK.
TIGA has recommended that the Government consider the following three proposals to drive growth across the UK video games development sector.
- Raise the rate of VGEC from 34 per cent to 39 per cent.
- Raise qualifying expenditure from 80 per cent to 100 per cent.
- Introduce an Independent Games Tax Credit (IGTC) with a rate of 53 per cent on 80 per cent of qualifying costs, on budgets for games of up to £23.5 million, in line with the existing Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC).
You can read more about TIGA’s proposals to the Government here.