Finance Ministry stands by 5,000 bars tally

The Ministry of Finance has defended the figure of 5,000 bars equipped with amusement devices as presented by Finance Minister Colm Imbert during his wind-up of the budget debate on Thursday.

The figure was taken directly from written and oral submissions made to the Joint Select Committee appointed to examine the proposed Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Bill, the ministry said yesterday.

Amusement Gaming Association (AGA) president Russel Bahadoorsingh has challenged Imbert “to provide facts and data to support his claim of there being 5,000 bars in the country.”

In a media release, the ministry stated that it was, “Established and accepted by all stakeholders that there are amusement gaming devices in at least 2,000 bars in Trinidad and Tobago, and further, there could be as many as 5,000 bars with such devices.

“It is unfortunate, therefore, that persons involved in the amusement gaming industry are now seeking to deny the established facts,” the ministry stated, adding there was an estimated loss of revenue of up to $90 million per year from the non-payment of taxes on amusement gaming devices in bars.

“The leakage of tax revenue would be much higher if, in fact, the figure of 5,000 bars with amusement gaming devices submitted by major players in the industry to the JSC is correct.” The ministry also noted, with the Revenue Authority not yet established, Government would redouble its efforts in 2018 in collaboration with the Board of Inland Revenue and the Police Service “to do whatever it can to ensure that taxes on gambling and gaming devices are collected.”

“In all this, it must be emphasised that the collection of taxes on gambling and gaming is the responsibility of the Board of Inland Revenue and the enforcement our laws is the responsibility of the police. The Government does not collect these taxes directly nor does it enforce the law. It is thus a misconception to think that it is solely up to the Government to address the problem of non-compliance in the gambling and gaming sector.”

The ministry noted that interim legislative changes would be required to allow “greater oversight of private members’ clubs and greater monitoring of the system of granting licenses to bars that operate amusement gaming devices.”