UK Arts Funding Crisis: Smart Fund Levy on Smartphones Proposed

A group of artist management organizations in the UK, including DACS, has suggested implementing a 'Smart Fund' levy on smartphone sales to raise between £250-300 million each year for artists and digital community initiatives. Supported by the Fabian Society, this initiative is part of a wider effort to explore alternative funding sources as the Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, grapples with a reported £22bn deficit in public finances. In September, over 4,000 individuals, including artists Sonia Boyce and John Akomfrah, submitted an open letter to culture secretary Lisa Nandy, urging for protections for cultural spaces in planning laws, a tourist tax, longer copyright terms for performances, and regulations on AI. Detractors contend that the levy burdens all smartphone users and establishes new, unaccountable gatekeepers instead of tackling deeper economic issues.