BETTING TAX.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 9 June 1923, Page 7

BETTING TAX.

. * LORD HAMILTON'S SCHEME. COMMITTEE TAKES EVIDENCE. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT . LONDON, June 7. ! Ihe Betting Tax Committee took evidence. I Sir Horace Hamilton, elaborating his j scheme, said that the board of customs suggested a percentage, say 10, should he levied on all money staked with bookmakers, in addition to issuing j bookmakers betting office licenses. The board did not propose a Government totalisator. A private totalisator would be treated as a betting office, while street betting would remain illegal. Means would be provided whereby", J within limitations, cash betting off the cour.se would be recognised, controlled, and taxed. He believed that the pre.sent volume of betting totalled over £100,000,000 annually, or 45s per capita lof the population. Sir Horace Hamili ton estimated that the total investments on the course during the 1920 Derby at £1,000,000. The totals at the Grand National, Manchester Cur>, and Kempton Park had several times approached £750,000. Ten per cent of. the total betting investments would yield £10,000,000 yearly. j Replying to the chairman, Sir Horace Hamilton said that a. large staff would not be necessary to collect license fees and stamp duties. He thought that bookmakers would pass it on by shortening the odds, which would affect everybody alike. Bookmakers would not object to ten per cent, on all money staked. ■ Mr. Rentoul (Commoner) : Have you ever considered the possibility of taxv>° betting news in the newspapers? bir Horace. Hamilton: No. Mr. Rentoul: Would the tax be remitted on scratched horses? Sir Horace Hamilton: The boavd feels that the intention is the same, whether, a horse is scratched or not. [A London cable message on May 81 stated: The Betting Inquiry Committee heard details of the scheme of betting taxation devised by Sir Horace Hamilton, chairman of +he Board of Customs, which"'is calculated to provide £10,000,000 annually. The scheme includes a bookmaker's license of £10 a year and a betting office license at £20. Books of a hundred half-crown tickets for cash betting will be sold at threepence per ticket, while books of a hundred ten shilling tickets will be soid or a shilling per ticket. A tax on cash betting will thus be collected automatically. Street bookmakers will receive r, betting-house license vipon a certificate from a local authority. Oth*r evidence given showed that the Football Betting Act was a dead letter.] I