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The Home Computing Initiative (HCI) was a UK Government program which allowed employers to provide personal computers and computer peripherals to their employees without the benefit being taxed as a salary. The HCI was introduced in 1999 to improve the IT literacy of the British workforce. It was also aimed at bridging Britain's digital divide - the increasing gap between those who have access to, and the skills to use, information technology, and those who do not. The program gained traction after four years, in 2003 after it was re-branded. The Trade Union Congress and the Department of Trade and Industry also made the initiative more user-friendly by publishing standard guideline that employers could easily adopt. The HCI program was lease agreement between the employer and the employee. The agreement usually lasted for three years, costing a maximum of £500 a year. At the end of the lease period, the employee was given the option to purchase the computer at its market value, which was typically £10 at that time. Since its inception, the HCI schemes have proven to be very popular. More than 1250 firms, employing 4.5 million people, had adopted the scheme ==Discontinuation== On 23 March 2006, in his UK Budget, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the removal of HCI tax exemption for employer-loaned computers. the HCI program was discontinued. The move was made without any consultation with the employers or employees' bodies, a stark contrast to the extensive consultation that preceded its creation〔 The Treasury of the United Kingdom made initial claims that the scheme was being abused by higher-rate taxpayers. However, research by the HCI Alliance found that 75% of employees who purchased personal computers through the HCI were basic or starting rate taxpayers and 50% were "blue collar" workers.〔 The HCI Alliance, created in 2003, was a group of industry leaders who worked together with the UK Government. Their aim was to increase access to personal computing in the UK. Another reason for the HCI being cancelled was that computers had become relatively more affordable. Most people in the workplace had access to computers and therefore, the purpose of the scheme had been achieved. In the days following the budget announcement, a significant lobbying campaign ensued, resulting in the treasury announcing that it would consider alternatives to HCI in its current format rather than disbanding it altogether. This led to the creation of the Educational Technology Allowance. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Home Computer Initiative」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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