No tax relief likely

Press, 6 July 1977, Page 28

No tax relief likely

Racing and trotting clubs could not expect any tax relief in the Budget this year, said the Minister of Internal Affairs iMr Highet). He was replying to a question from the president iMr G. C. Cruickshank) at the annual meeting of the Trotting Conference in Christchurch yesterday. "An indication might be given in the Budget regarding what might be given next year,” said Mr Highet. “I am looking at a rebate of $2500 a racing day rather than $2500 for each club as at present. Whether I will be successful remains to be seen.” Mr Highet said he realised such a proposal was of little help to a one-dav club. “The clubs in trouble are those with four or five meetings a year. It would be of tremendous help to them,” he said

Mr Highet had earlier announced the approval of an additional 12 race meetings and 21 trotting meetings for the next racing year. A Racing Amendment Bill would be introduced into Parliament later in the current session The Minister said the Bill would propose representation for the New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association on the Rae-

ing Authority and probably some other attention to the membership of the authority. “Next, it will be proposed that the authority will have direct power to act in certain areas where at present it has only advisory powers, such powers being concerned with the determination of the number of totalisator licences to be issued in the racing year and the distribution of these as between racing and trotting,” he said. Under the legislation the authority would have power to adjudicate in disputes between the Racing and Trotting Conferences and the Greyhound Racing Association, and to adjudicate in disputes between clubs which were referred to the authority by the respective national body. It was also proposed that there be provision for a new classification of racing club—“the restricted totalisator club”—which would operate on a special type of licence providing for oncourse betting only. “It is expected that the majority of greyhound racing clubs will seek this restricted totalisator licence in place of the equalisator licence they operate under at present,” Mr Highet said. “I would stress that the licence will be limited to on-course betting only—the T.A.B. will not

operate on these meetings and naturally the restricted totalisator clubs will not participate in any distribution of T.A.B. profits,” he said. “It is likelv that a number of the smaller racing and trotting clubs which are at present operating equalisator betting will also seek to use the restricted totalisator licence.”

They would also be able to deduct commission from betting pools and this should be a more satisfactory source of finance than the income they derive at present from the equalisator. “They will also be required to deduct totalisator duty—at a rate to be determined —and it will follow that their meetings will be supervised by the totalisator inspectors of the Department of Internal Affairs,” Mr Highet said.