Tax Burden Kills Mecca Bingo Hall
By Elena
15th April, 2008
It is now official that the Mecca Bingo club in Swindon is not going to reopen, as confirmed by the big bosses at the Rank Group, the owner company of Mecca Bingo. The owners have stated that a “discriminatory” tax regime is to blame for the closure of the Swindon’s Mecca hall.
Saturday night was the final night for Mecca in Swindon, unfortunately for many locals who loved and religiously attended all the games at the hall.
Neverhteless, Colin David Glaolm (Ind. Penhill) stated that the club could be reopened, as according to the area manager who visited it on Monday, said there was no evidence for the immediate need for building.
His statement was opposed by the company spokesman, who told the Adver last night: “We closed our doors to the public on Saturday with a leaving party.”
She explained such drastic move by the financial strain that came from a double taxation, which the hall was not able to handle.
Every operator and business in the bingo industry was hoping that the “unfair and discriminatory double taxation” was to be abolished in the last budget by the government, but that never happened, so the industry is still trying to cope with the pressures.
"The bingo industry is subjected to double taxation by the government in that we pay gross profit tax and VAT," explained Rank’s spokesperson.
"We have been lobbying the Government for a long time in an effort to level the playing field. To a large degree this is the reason we have had to close the Mecca bingo hall in Swindon," she added.
There was also a letter sent to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling about the issue facing bingo and the importance of bingo for the UK economy and social reasons. The letter was by Simon Wykes, the managing director of Mecca Bingo, and Andy Campbell, the general manager of Mecca Bingo Swindon, attempted to explain to the politicians why it is in the country’s interests to keep bingo industry going strong.
"The Mecca Bingo club in Swindon employs 10 people from the local area; these jobs will now be lost,” the letter stated.
"It provides a warm, friendly and fun social experience for thousands of people from the area, many of whom are women; that amenity will now disappear. At least six licensed bingo clubs in Great Britain have closed since March 12, 2008 when the Government chose to ignore the bingo industry's calls for a fair deal in the budget. It seems likely that many more will close by the end of the year unless you take action now," said the letter.
