Irish Examiner View: A digital game changer
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IN his budget speech on Tuesday, Paschal Donohoe, the finance minister, pledged to build a stronger Ireland from the "ashes of the pandemic". One way to do that is to recognise the potential of the digital economy and look at ways to assist it.
He appears to have done just that, as among the provisions of Budget 2021 is the development of a tax credit for the digital gaming sector, with a view to supporting qualifying activity from January 2022 onwards.
Noting what it describes as "potential synergies to exploit with the established film and animation sectors", the plan is to support employment in the creative and digital arts.
Ireland has experienced huge growth in both the live-action and animation sectors in recent years, with the animation industry quadrupling in size over the past decade and scoring several Oscar nominations.
Gaming is a huge growth industry that we need to attract to our shores in a post-Covid-19 world. We could also develop the sector here that would allow us to become a major global player. Tax incentives are one way to make that happen.