This years Budget saw Chancellor Alistair Darling announced a 7% increase in bingo taxes with immediate effect. This means that bingo operators will now pay a 22% tax on profits. And they appear not to be happy with this at all.
Mecca Bingo and the Gala Group have both expressed that they are unhappy with this increase and have launched campaigns to highlight this issue
Ian Burke, Chief Executive Officer of the Rank Group, voiced his concerns in a recent interview with the BBC:
“People love their bingo. It's played by millions of people each year up and down the country, including Bedford and Luton. The government is proposing to increase the tax from 15 per cent to 22 per cent and we’re trying to persuade Labour MPs in particular, because bingo is traditionally played in Labour heartlands, to tell the government not to put this tax increase through. We’ve had support from Luton MP Kelvin Hopkins and we’re trying to get similar support from other members in the area. It’s very important that we get MP’s support to persuade the Treasury not to increase this tax. Other forms of gaming, for example bookmakers, football pools, online bingo, are taxed at a start rate of 15 percent. We feel that the Government is ‘picking on’ bingo in trying to increase this tax and that it’s just not fair. The reason most people play bingo is for the social and community aspect of it. It’s a really important part of their time away from home, their time together, particularly women”.
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