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In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, the chief executive at Mecca Bingo Ian Burke, has rapped the government over their inconsistent policies for the leisure industry as they have become under increasing financial pressure due to this absurd double taxation law. Mr Burke is not the only leisure boss to criticise the Labour Government, which is presided over by Gordon Brown as it was only last week that we see Tim Martian, who is the chairman for JD Weatherspoon, call for a five year suspension of increases on beer duty.
Three main leisure pursuits seem to be taking the brunt of the current government polices and they are of course the land based bingo industry, casino’s and pubs. When you used to walk through the east end of London there was a pub on every corner and a bingo hall within walking distance for local communities, but that most certainly is not the case now and this is the same up and down the country.
The public house sector is struggling to cope with increase alcohol duties, red tape and falling customer numbers and it was reported by the beer and pub association that 36 pubs closed down every single week in the first half of 2008, so no wonder some bosses in the leisure industry are calling for the resignation of Alistair darling, who most certainly did not give a darling of a budget to this sector!
We have already seen the government back track on how many £500 jackpot machines are allowed to be housed in bingo halls, but this is simply not enough to help prevent any more bingo halls closing their doors for the last time.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Ian Burke said, “At Mecca Bingo, we too have suffered from the present Government’s inconsistent approach to regulating and taxing leisure businesses and believe that our financial pain foreshadows a deeper and more damaging societal impact. Rank, which runs more than 100 Mecca Bingo clubs as well as 32 casinos, had been entertaining Britons since the 1930s. As with the pub industry, our primary aim is to bring excitement and enjoyment to the lives of our customers in social and safe environments outside the home. We employ more than 8,000 people, who take pride in what they do for a living and we generate significant revenues for the economy, at both a local and a national level.”
Mr Burke also went on to say “In recent years our industry has found itself under increasing financial pressure as a result of government policies. Since the start of 2007, 59 bingo clubs in Britain have been forced into closure by heavy-handed regulation and the oppressive ‘double taxation’ system”, with bingo the only mainstream gambling product paying both gross profits tax and VAT. “The creation of new jobs through further investment in this sector has been stifled by myopic and inconsistent policy-making. The Government has forgotten its duty to champion and support the leisure industry and has instead hastened the closure of hundreds of pubs and clubs.”
Mr Burke, did accept that they way in which we live our lives do change, times change and trends change, like the introduction of online bingo that has taken off in a huge way, but he did have this to say about life style changes, “We need to be careful that these trends, combined with the closures of leisure businesses, do not lead to disconnected communities and a society that is increasingly hermetic.”
Having the choice to go out to a land based bingo hall or to stay in and play the online bingo version of the game is great and it is a choice we all take for granted, but if something is not done to help our leisure industry soon, then we may not have this choice anymore and this includes our local pubs as well as land based bingo halls, as they will become fewer and further between!
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