Well, it’s been a long time coming and we’re going to have to give a big ‘woohoo’ for this latest piece of breaking news. Yes, it’s official, the budget will entail a slashing of 10% off the current 20% bingo taxation, to give clubs a nice round 10% to deal with. And yes, we know it is official, because the Treasury have tweeted it, so there’s no going back!
This is a cut of 5% more than the Bingo Association were demanding, so they must be patting themselves on the backs for a job well done. But it has also been the support of bingo players themselves that has helped, with a petition delivered to Downing Street by players, as well as lobbying from M.P.s for both sides of the house.
It’s been a joint effort all around (I’m sure George and David regularly read this blog, so we’ve done our bit too!), and unlike many discussions over policies, this appears to have been a case of literally no opposition to the proposition. It really was a win-win situation, and luckily the string pullers had the sense to realise it.
I’m not sure how much political capital will be gained by the announcement, but that is by the by. What really matters is that jobs will be saved along with the bingo halls who will be given a second lease of life through this tax cut.
The actual tweet read “”Bingo duty will be halved to 10% to protect jobs and communities”, which means that they did the right thing for themselves in putting the saving of jobs as the primary motivator for the cut, whilst getting in the ‘caring angle’ with the reference to communities.
Not only will this mean fewer closures, but likely as not new openings, which have been rare over the past few years. Money can be invested in better prizes to get new players through the door, and investments may be made to make clubs more appealing to a younger audience. In all this is great news for the bingo industry, and the Bingo Association, who have been fighting a tireless battle over the past few years, culminating in their recent ‘Boost Bingo’ campaign which appears to have done the trick in getting their case heard by those who matter.
Well done to those involved in supporting the campaign, which includes everyone, from M.P.s to petition signers and those who supported the online campaign. All in all, a great day for bingo. More.
