11:58am Monday 18th May 2009
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has criticized the Government's new taxation policy for the bingo industry.
The Tory MP made the comments in a debate on the Finance Bill last week.
He said the Government's decision to increase the rate of bingo duty from 15% to 22% has made bingo Britain's most heavily taxed form of gaming.
Online bingo, betting shops and football pools are all taxed at a rate of 15%.
Crewe’s Mecca Bingo has some 20,000 members and the Rank Group, which operates the Crewe venue, has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer describing the increase as ‘damaging and unwarranted’.
Mr Timpson said in Parliament: "The rise in duty affects all bingo, whether it takes place in the interval or on the main stage.
“Very many of our constituents enjoy bingo on an extremely regular basis, and for them it is often their primary leisure activity.
“It satisfies their need for social interaction and belonging, as one can clearly see when one goes to a bingo hall to enjoy a game.
"Bingo crosses all sorts of boundaries, and it is played by young and old alike.
“I think that I am right in saying that an increasing number of younger people enjoy bingo on a regular basis.
“We need to ensure that they, and those members of the older generation with a long history of enjoying bingo, are able to enjoy the game for many years to come.
“The Henley Centre published a research paper entitled Unlucky for Some: The Social Impact of Bingo Club Closures.
“It said that the closures are both a manifestation of, and a catalyst for, the wider breakdown of local communities, with a negative impact on society.
"Bingo halls are essentially clubs for people.
“They love going to them and spending time with their friends.
“We should not deny them that opportunity in an attempt to claw back what is a miniscule amount compared to the overall deficit in the Government’s finances.
“It is time that the Government thought again, because the bingo industry feels exasperated and betrayed."
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