The UK government has set out its strategy to make the country a central e-commerce ‘hub’ in the twenty-first century. Speaking in Cambridge at the unveiling of a report by the recently-launched Performance and Innovation Unit, Prime Minister Tony Blair laid down the roadmap for the next 12 months.
Central recommendations include a commitment by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to encourage new internet and content businesses by December, and the publication by the Inland Revenue and Customs Service in November of a paper on how the government will tax e-commerce.
Various vague outlines deal with cooperation with international telco regulators. The Office of Fair Trading and the telecoms regulator Oftel have been jointly tasked with ensuring that the UK’s developing internet economy is fair and competitive.
