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A protest against Bingo tax was organised on the Green in front of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster yesterday. More than 500 people showed up to support the cause, including members of the Bingo Association, the bingo industry, bingo hall employees, bingo players and many MPs too. In spite of the sweltering heat the mood in the crowd was upbeat and optimistic as they raised their voices in protest against what is perceived as a grossly unfair tax that is levied on bingo operators only, not on sports betting or even casinos. The additional burden of having to pay 22% of profits as bingo tax has seen the closure of numerous bingo halls across the UK. Bingo is a favourite social pastime for thousands of people and the bingo halls also offer employment to many. Bingo halls are a seen as an integral part of society and social interaction and the closure of these bingo halls not only results in job losses but also marks the end of a social life for many bingo players. The bingo industry was widely represented with bosses from most of the big operators present. Mr Paul Talboys of the Bingo Association, Ian Burke of Rank, Simon Longbottom of Gala Bingo, Patrick Duffy of Palace Bingo and Dave Holt of Seldis Cooper all came together to put across their message – Tax Bingo Fairly. The aim of this protest is to highlight to the Treasury just how threatened the bingo industry in the UK is, in the hope that the Treasury might reconsider this steep tax that bingo companies have had to pay since the April Budget. As many as 70 bingo halls have been closed down recently, with the bingo industry predicting another 30 closures unless the bingo tax rate is reduced to a fairer 15% instead of the unfair 22% current rate. Written by Charlene Grey for Bingostreet – your resource for bingo news and daily updates on events in the world of online bingo UK. Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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