HCI Group appeals to government to reconsider decision
Industry still reeling over scrapping of HCI scheme and is keen to meet with ministers to discuss alternative options
The HCI Alliance has urged the government to reconsider its decision to abolish the tax exemptions on which Home Computing Initiatives (HCI) are based.
Announced by the Chancellor in last week's Budget, the HCI is to be scrapped as of 6 April 2006.
The Alliance, whose members are BT, Intel and Microsoft, has supported the government since 2003 in promoting HCI and represents the interests of 100 companies dedicated to delivering HCI.
Vivien Quinn, director of the HCI Alliance, said: “We know the digital divide cannot be bridged by HCI alone, but we fundamentally believe it is making a real difference. The statistics speak for themselves; more than 500,000 PCs have been delivered to UK citizens via the schemes; 60 per cent of these have been acquired by blue collar workers and 75 per cent by employees who pay the standard rate of tax or lower.
“We urge the Government to reconsider its decision. The response from employers, the public and industry has been overwhelming. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with Ministers and officials to understand the reasons behind this sudden decision, and discuss with them how we could address their concerns.”