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UK hints at kids live-action tax break

The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has said he is “looking very seriously” at the idea of introducing a tax break for UK children’s live-action television.

The government has recently set up tax breaks for films, high-end television and animation made in the UK and the local children’s sector has spent that past six months campaigning to get the law extended to include kids’ live-action.

The potential tax break could be worth almost £3m (US$5.1m) a year to the government, according to research done on behalf of UK trade association Pact.

Osborne is due to deliver his Autumn Statement, which outlines the government’s plans for the economy, to Parliament next week and there is now good reason to believe a tax break for UK children’s live-action TV will be included.

“I am looking very seriously to see if I can look to expand tax credits to children’s television,” Osborne said during an event in London this week.

The tax break for animation, introduced last year, is viewed as having been a huge success by the local industry, with the scheme attracting an estimated £52m of spending, including £8m in inward investment, in 12 months.

The UK has a history of producing popular and commercially lucrative kids’ live-action, such as Teletubbies and Tweenies.

A tax break for kids’ live-action could improve UK TV exports and also help boost international coproduction opportunities, meaning series with international appeal in the vein of Anglo-German copro Wolfblood could become more common.

It is also hoped it will encourage local broadcasters such as ITV to commission more kids’ content.

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