TaxBreaks
Latest
Apple's plan for Reno data center gets green light
Apple's gotten the thumbs-up for another data center, this one in the biggest little city in the world, Reno, Nevada. Unfortunately, the deal itself doesn't hold a lot of weight, but at least Apple's gotten another nod in the right direction. The Nevada Board of Economic Development put its support behind the ongoing deal, agreeing to bring in the data center, and provide Apple with up to $89 million in tax breaks. Now, that board doesn't actually oversee deals like that, so a lack of endorsement by this board doesn't mean the deal would have been dead in the water. Local governments have already approved most of the tax breaks that Apple needed from Reno. But there were some concerns on this board, and there was talk of maybe trying to stop the deal somehow. So a vote to endorse the deal is just good news for Apple, and means that there won't be any issues from higher up the chain. Someone on the board did promise to bring the deal back up next year, but Apple's data center is set to go live sometime in 2012, so it may be a moot point by then. [via Engadget]
Georgia offers tax breaks to game industry
Apparently game developers can hitch a ride with the devil if they're looking for some tax breaks. According to the Duluth Weekly, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which gives financial incentives to film, TV and game development. Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, points out the law makes Georgia one of the few states with incentives for the video game industry.The signing took place at the studios of Turner Broadcasting, which not only runs several television stations, but also GameTap. The new incentives offer a 20% tax credit, with an additional 10% if it includes an animated Georgia promotional logo in the finished product. So, go on down to Georgia, developers. If you can survive the summers, they're giving away free money.[Via GamePolitics]
France passes tax break for game makers
When you think of hubs of international game development, France probably doesn't leap to the front of the list. But the country hosts major game makers like Ubisoft and Atari and famous creators like Beyond Good and Evil's Michel Ancel and Alone in the Dark's Frédérick Raynal.The country's game making reputation might just grow if the French government has anything to say about it. Wired reports on a recently passed French law granting special tax breaks to French game makers through the "exception Francaise."The exemption still has to be approved by the European Union, but even if it is, don't expect to see a flood of mindless shoot-'em-ups to come out of the country. French Culture Ministry Adviser Marc Herubel told Wired that tax-exempt games must be "culturally relevant," meaning they have "a narration of some kind and a scenario written in French with elements of adventure or simulation games." So, apparently, some of the most important games of all time wouldn't be culturally relevant enough for the ministry just because they didn't have French narration? Way to fight that elitist French stereotype, there.Previously: France vies to give artful tax break for game industry
