More Government Action Needed to support British Comic industry, says Comic Book UK
Comic Book UK, the representative body for the UK’s comic book industry, has responded to the UK Government’s recent Budget, delivered by the Chancellor on 28th October 2026, pointing to some positive changes that will benefit comic creators – but is calling for further support.
Their rallying call for greater recognition of comic industry professionals comes as Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, a cross-party select committee of the UK House of Commons, recently tabled a question to the Treasury, raising the prospect of extending creative industries tax reliefs to the comics industry, which Comic Book UK has also been arguing for.
Caroline Dinenage is highly regarded for her support for encouraging young entrepreneurs in her own Gosport constituency, backing the award winning team behind the new Den Training Centre that helps promote a variety of sports activities, including cheerleading and dance, and recently relaunched her annual Christmas Card Competition for Years R to 6 to encourage creativity in primary school children in her area.
While James Murray, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General, gave a fairly non-committal answer, her efforts at the very least have again helped put comics on the idea on the Treasury’s radar.
Budget benefits for comic creators: the highlights
Comic Book UK has recognised there was some good news for freelancers and comic retailers buried in new fiscal measures (fully detailed below, in the section “Budget Measures of Note”).
The most obvious is the rise in the individual tax-free trading allowance from £1000 to £3000, which will allow freelance comic pros to retain more of their income tax-free each year.
The introduction of parental pay for self-employed fathers, partners and adopters is also welcome, which will help protect the incomes of freelance comic creators taking work breaks as their families grow; as is the increase in the property-value threshold for retailers to qualify for business rates relief, allowing more local comic shops to to pay no or significantly reduced business rates.
“There is a lot in the Budget that will be welcomed by the people who make, publish and sell comics in the UK,” notes Mark Fuller, Chief Executive of Comic Book UK.
“Tripling the Trading Allowance and extending parental pay to self-employed fathers, partners and adopters are practical measures that will help independent comic creators. Comics are made overwhelmingly by freelancers, many of whom combine comics with other creative work, and these changes reflect the reality of how they earn a living.
“The changes to business rates are also good news for independent comic shops,” he observes. “They are the beating heart of their local comics communities, where readers discover new titles and creators meet their audiences, and many have been under real pressure on the high street.
“We welcome the new funding to put books in the hands of young children. Comics and graphic novels are so often how children first fall in love with reading, so they must be included in this programme and in the Government’s wider efforts to improve literacy.
More action required
“But for the UK comics industry to realise its full growth potential, these measures must be followed by more. British comics are the launchpad for characters and stories that fuel film, TV and video games around the world, yet the publishers and creators who develop that IP sit outside the creative industries tax reliefs that have driven growth in those sectors.
“Extending those reliefs to comics, and recognising creative IP as the valuable asset it is, would unlock investment in new titles, create more paid work for creators and help UK comics compete on the global stage.”
Comic Book UK will continue to work with the Government, its members and partners across the wider creative industries to make the case for these measures ahead of next year’s Spending Review.
As we previously reported, Comic Book UK is a new association working to make the UK the best place in the world to create, publish and sell comics and graphic novels. Its members, who include DC Thomson, publishers of BEANO and Commando, Rebellion Entertainment, publishers of 2000AD, and DFB The Phoenix, publishers of The Phoenix Comic, employ thousands of creative professionals who produce comics enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of readers every week and graphic novels enjoyed by millions more every year.
Their work ensures that the UK comics industry is recognised as a vital part of the UK’s creative industries, towards the goal of supporting UK comics to grow and add significant value to the UK economy.
Membership is not currently available to individual freelancers, employees or students, but publishers can find out how to join the association here
Budget Measures of Note
Trading Allowance: from 6th April 2027 the Trading Allowance will rise from £1,000 to £3,000, allowing individuals to receive up to £3,000 of trading and miscellaneous income tax-free each year.
Parental pay: from April 2029, eligible self-employed fathers, partners and adopters in Great Britain will be able to access parental pay for the first time.
Business rates: from April 2027, Small Business Rates Relief thresholds for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England will rise to £18,000 for full relief and £21,000 for tapered relief, taking around 70,000 more businesses out of business rates. Bills for other qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties will be frozen in real terms in 2027-28 and 2028-29.
Books for children: the Government will provide £5 million a year for three years from 2027-28 to increase the provision of books for pre-school children, supporting organisations such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and BookTrust.
Creative industry tax reliefs: corporation tax reliefs and expenditure credits are currently available for film, high-end television, animation, video games, theatre, orchestral concerts and museum and gallery exhibitions. Unfortunately, publishing, including comics and graphic novels, is not covered.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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