Microsoft is calling for the government to introduce tax breaks to help promote ecommerce in the UK. In a speech to the Internet World trade show in London tomorrow, David Svendsen, Microsoft's UK CEO is expected to tell delegates that he wants the government to reduce VAT rates on electronic transactions. He believes such a measure would be a real incentive for more people to use the Internet to buy goods and services. He's also expected to call for the government to introduce tax relief for anyone who wants to buy a home computer. Despite huge growth in the numbers of people using the Net in the UK, he is expected to say that there are still not enough people wired up to the Net. Much needs to be done to bring down the cost of accessing the Net and government has its part to play if it wants the UK to succeed in the wired world, he'll say. In Sweden, apparently, people can already get tax relief when they rent a PC and this has led to an increase in the number of people online. ®