economy
High-street slot machines and casinos could face £460m tax rise under Burnham
Thinktank finds 43% of the public would support a move by Labour to raise taxes on adult gaming centres
TL;DR
- A thinktank proposes a tax rise of up to £460m on high-street slot machine shops (AGCs) and casinos.
- 43% of the public would support a future Labour administration raising taxes on AGCs.
- Andy Burnham has previously criticized AGCs for exploiting vulnerable people and called for tougher regulation.
- The proposal could double the machine games duty (MGD) from 20% to 40% on £2-a-spin slot machines.
- The gambling industry trade bodies, Bacta and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), oppose the tax increase, citing potential job losses and harm to high streets.
- The 'aim to permit' rule from the 2005 Gambling Act has been criticized for facilitating the spread of gambling premises.