‘Colm sending me back to ghetto’

Having lifted himself out of deprivation to become a family-man and university graduate, with his eyes on a doctorate, temporary Opposition Senator Jabez Johnson asked if Finance Minister Colm Imbert wants to now send him back to the ghetto by jeopardising his job as a casino manager.

Pointing to a packed public gallery of casino workers, he begged that they not be put on the breadline. He said that while the country is overrun with illegal gambling machines that are unchecked, even in a hospital he had recently visited, the registered private members clubs operating as casinos now face a doubling of their tax burden under Imbert’s Budget proposals.

Johnson urged Imbert to collect taxes from the entire gambling sector, not just burden those few private members clubs. Saying Imbert had variously valued the local gaming sector at $10 billion, $16 billion and $15 to $20 billion, he said if Imbert wants to find the true figure he should pass the Casino Bill, establish a Gaming Commission and get details from the registered operators.

Johnson said that a police exercise to tally how many private members clubs this country has had proven futile as they included clubs where no gambling occurs such as places like Harvard Sports Club. Further, he said some clubs with casinos had since closed down, including Royal Vegas and Sportsman. Johnson queried the US$350 million paid by the Government each year to the firm G-Tech to run games run by the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB.)