---

Finance Bill

No. Prior to the Budget, the effective tax rate was calculated—and widely acknowledged—to be between 24 and 25 per cent. The Bingo Association acknowledged that. Our assessment was that it was between 24 and 25 per cent., and it might be sensible to remind hon. Members at this juncture that the effective tax rate had come down from 35 per cent. in 2003, so there has been a steady decline in the effective rate of taxation on bingo. It went down from 35 per cent. in 2003 to between 24 and 22 per cent. prior to the Budget, and when the Budget is put into effect, the rate will go down to 22 per cent. Those are facts, acknowledged widely in the industry and featured in the Bingo Association's Budget representations.