UK tax relief for orchestras moves a step closer

The UK Government is to introduce new tax relief for orchestras from April 2016, following a public consultation. Chancellor George Osborne first announced the move, which mirrors similar reliefs in theatre, film, videogames and animation, in his autumn statement last year, and now has issued a consultation document outlining proposals and calls from input in their implementation. Director of the Association of British Orchestras Mark Pemberton said: "We welcome the launch of the consultation. Tax relief will make a big difference to our members' resilience in these challenging times, helping them to continue to offer the very best in British music-making to audiences both here in the UK and abroad".