Victoria state ALP decries pokie tax rise as a "job-killing tax slug"

[slothpomba]

    The Napthine Government’s gaming tax increase will damage the viability of regional and rural sporting and community clubs across Victoria, Shadow Minister for Gaming, Martin Pakula said today.

    Mr Pakula met late yesterday with sporting and community clubs in Ballarat to discuss the implications of the Napthine Government’s hotel and club electronic gaming machine tax on community organisations.

    “Denis Napthine’s job-killing tax slug will make many small struggling clubs across Victoria unviable,” Mr Pakula said.

    “It’s remarkable that rather than being pleased that gambling losses are down, the Napthine Government is disappointed that their tax take isn’t higher, so they’re raising the tax.

    “Local clubs, like RSL’s, bowls and football clubs whom already battle to stay in operation, will really feel the pinch to their budget bottom line.

    “Local sporting and community clubs don’t just offer recreational opportunities; they are workplaces, training centres and education providers.

    “This tax rise will also place future infrastructure and capital improvements at clubs and pubs in doubt, and that will have a trickle-down effect on local building and construction jobs,” Mr Pakula said.

    Local Ballart sporting clubs including the Sebastopol Bowls Club, Ballarat Leagues Club, North Ballarat Football Club, Midlands Golf Club, Ballarat Basketball and the Ballarat Trotting Club along with Clubs Australia and the Community Club’s Association of Victorian, all expressed their concerns over the governments planned tax increase during yesterday’s roundtable.

    The Napthine Government’s new tax will, from 1 April 2014, see the two top tax brackets for hotel and club venue operators increased by 4.2 per cent.

    Pubs and clubs have vowed to campaign against the tax increase on the industry, which the Australian Hotels Association predicts will hit venues’ bottom line by up to 7.5 per cent.

    State Member for Ballarat West, Sharon Knight said that Ballarat was already under significant economic and employment pressure.

    State Member for Ballarat East, Geoff Howard said that local sporting and community clubs were not just important local employers but key contributors to the ‘liveability’ of Ballarat.

    Mr Pakula said that he expected significant backlash from communities right across Victoria over the Napthine Government’s job-killing tax slug.

    “This cruel tax is nothing less than a ‘community killer’ that will drive local sporting and community clubs into the ground,” Mr Pakula said.

    Published on December 18, 2013

[slothpomba]

I fell off my chair so hard i got a concussion, i'm shocked. For shame state ALP, they've definitely lost my vote this state election.

I live in one of the most disadvantaged areas in the state (Brimbank), it is the area with the highest gambling loses as well. My local pub (nothing special or fancy like a casino) made ~$17,000,000 on their pokies alone. I have absolutely no sympathy for a tax rise of a few percentage points, it's certainly not a "job-killing tax slug". I shit you not, there's even a tax free threshold for losses collected from pokies according to the gambling regulator.

I'm usually an ALP voter (living in ALP heartland its kind of expected too). The ALP seemed to care about issues here and how it affects my community (it really does). Whats most baffling is this totally contradicts their federal efforts on gambling and pokies reform. Even if you're against taxation of gambling or gambling regulation, it's at least hypocritical of them.

The sheer amount of "newspeak" and twisting of language here is staggering. They somehow tried to make it seem like a few percentage point increase in the losses people make on pokies is a "community killer" and a "job killer". Pokies are the real community and job killers here, gambling addiction is the real community and job killer. It's a crying shame that they hardest hit the poorest (and least able to afford it) areas, further entrenching disadvantage.

• You can see how much your LGA (local government area) loses on pokies here
• Press release from the gambling regulator
• Treasury fact sheet, inc. present and future rates

[Professor Polonsky]

I agree with you completely kp, but notwithstanding so I feel that this is just a case of the opposition feeling like they have to oppose everything the gov does to win votes. I'd be very surprised if the ALP reverses the tax hike should they get into government. Certainly not important enough to make me preference the awful LNP government over the ALP.

[Genericname2365]

Whats most baffling is this totally contradicts their federal efforts on gambling and pokies reform.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case; federal Labor prove here that they have no conviction in this area. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-to-back-coalition-in-scrapping-of-pokie-reforms-20131210-2z2vv.html