I’ve had a busy week blogging about Philip Davies haven’t I? I do apologise.
Anyway, back onto the Davies’ bashing. 
He’s in the T&A again, this time calling on the government to cut tax for the bingo industry, claiming they’ve ‘raised’ it to 22% whereas for other forms of gambling it’s only 15%.
The T&A didn’t seek a response from the government, but they didn’t need to in all honesty – when Davies raised the issue in the Commons he got not one but two replies from a Treasury Minister.
The exchange below is taken from Hansard, as you can see – Davies is told several key things that he has failed to admit to the T&A:
1) Bingo tax before the last budget was effectively 24/25%
2) Bingo tax before 2003 was 35%
3) 22% is the average tax rate across the gambling industry
So why is Davies claiming that the government have ‘raised’ the tax on the bingo industry?
I actually think of the various forms of ‘gambling’, bingo is one I’d rather see supported over other ones, but I have a sneaky feeling bingo halls are closing up and down the country not because of the tax they pay, but because fewer people are going to the halls either out of a lack of interest in bingo or because they’re all flocking online to play in the comfort of their own home.
Of course that wouldn’t give Davies his traditional Tory line of being able to accuse the government of being a high tax and spend government. Though it’s funny how Tories call for tax cuts and public spending cuts at the same time, as if revenue can be increased out of thin air.
Hansard exchange:
Philip Davies (Shipley, Conservative)
If he will bring forward proposals to reduce the level of taxation applied to the bingo industry.
Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Parliamentary Secretary, HM Treasury; Portsmouth North, Labour)
We have had continued dialogue with the bingo industry, including before and since the Budget, on the impact of the tax regime. I last met the industry just three weeks ago, and that dialogue will continue. However, I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is aware that tax policy decisions are taken and announced in Budgets and pre-Budget reports.
Philip Davies
The Government have increased the taxation on bingo to 22 per cent., whereas tax on other forms of gambling is 15 per cent. Bingo plays an important part in local communities, but many clubs are shutting up and down the country. What have this Government got against bingo?
Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Parliamentary Secretary, HM Treasury; Portsmouth North, Labour)
I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we value the bingo industry and recognise the important part that it plays in the community. I would remind him that 22 per cent. is the average across the gambling industry, that the effective tax rate in 2003 was 35 per cent. and that, on the information that the bingo industry gave us before the Budget, the effective tax rate was 24 to 25 per cent.
Davies managed to secure a debate on gambling taxation, which you can read here. He more or less reheats the arguments he used initially, including the same lines that were again rebutted by the Minister.
