Editing Home Computer Initiative (section)

The '''Home Computing Initiative''' (HCI) was a [[UK Government]] program which allowed employers to provide [[personal computer]]s, [[Computer software|software]] and [[computer peripheral]]s 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 (United Kingdom)|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 a lease agreement between the employer and the employee. The agreement usually lasted for three years, costing a maximum of £500 a year.<ref name=hmrc-2006>{{cite web |url=http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2006/bn30.htm |title=BN 30 - Exemptions For Computers & Mobile Phones |website=HMRC |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080728050148/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2006/bn30.htm |archive-date=28 July 2008 |access-date=22 August 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> 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.

The HCI scheme was very popular. More than 1250 firms, employing 4.5 million people, had adopted the scheme.<ref name="2006 Budget">{{cite book|last=Treasury Committee|first=House of Commons|title=The 2006 Budget Volume II|year=2006|publisher=UK Government|pages=93|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aBmyl8Xz_aoC&dq=home+computer+initiative+alliance&pg=PA93|isbn=9780215028570}}</ref>