I will write a piece soon in full response to this (as promised TBB)…but lets start the fueling the comments now ;0)

I run a membership organisation representing over 30 of the worlds top ICT Brands DITG. We are funded by: Acer, Apple, AVG, Brother, Canon, Compaq, Comet, Capita IT Services, Computerland, Computer Warehouse, Equanet, Farpoint, Dell, DSGi, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Lexmark, Microsoft, Micro-P, MSI, Netgear, OnecallPC, Packard Bell, SCC, Sony, Sodexo, Seagate, Toshiba, YouatWork, Westcoast and more…

look us up: http://www.ditg.org.uk

Our organisation has spent the last 4 years developing a replacement for the Governments Home Computing Initiative (HCI)…An Income Tax exemption for Home Computing equipment.

The replacement termed Computing, Skills and Technology (CST) Programmes, has the support of Citizens Advice, Trading Standards and UK Online Centers. So lets just say it is a safe as houses solution for employees ;0)

CST delivers ICT equipment and skills opportunities in exchange for a salary sacrifice (just like HCI) and currently allows individuals to save NI. One of DITG’s roles is to seek more taxation support.

In 2006, the Conservative Party pledged to fight the Governement and bring back Income Tax benefits. It even ran a campaign on the party website:

http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=campaigns.savehci.page (Page now removed)

So you would think that it would be easy to secure support for CST on the run up to the Election?

Not so…

The Shadow Treasury Team passed DITG and its members onto the the Shadow Business Team. Within this team we were passed from Ken Clarks team onto Mark Prisk’s Team and to Adam Afriyie, the Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation. Adam’s team have now passed DITG and CST back to the Shadow Treasury Team.

In the mean time, the current Government has placed DITG in it’s Digital Exclusion Review, ICT Skills Review and Digital Britain plans. It has even conducted a review of Taxation benefits and relised that CST could actually create £45 million income.

When such an easy reduction of personal and corporate taxation can be passed around party researchers…You have to ask whether you will see any reduction of taxes…

Dare I suggest election complacency?

If the Party thinks it will win because everyone hates Gordo, think again…

…Consider the lunge in the poles, post the now infamous Mrs Janes letter…

The current government isn’t dead and the Conservative Manifesto needs to differentiate itself properly.

June is a long way away and voters want to hear more than rhetoric differentiating the parties. Spin don’t work anymore and Tony Blair seemed like a nice man too…

Good blog piece Scott.

I am sick of economic mismanagment. Lets make Scott chancellor. Bung him a peerage tomorrow…..