Harsha says hard-fought victory in round one; will battle for best regime for gaming

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

UNP MP and its Economic Affairs Spokesperson Dr. Harsha de Silva in a statement yesterday hailed what he described as “hard-fought victory” in forcing the Government to rethink plans for rushing ahead with mega plans to boost casinos, but assured the battle was still on to ensure better governance and practices in gaming industry. Following is the full text of the UNP MP’s statement:

We are happy to note the hard-fought victory for the people of Sri Lanka in round one of the ongoing battle to stop tax breaks for James Packer’s unregulated and illegal Crown casino. The UNP will not agree to a 22-year income tax holiday by applying a ridiculously low 5% tax on gaming revenue having removed the existing 12% VAT and NBT on casinos to Mr. Packer when millions of people of this country are being suffocated by taxes on essentials ranging from food to clothing to healthcare. We also appreciate all those who supported our position even though coming in at the last minute. We hope that those who criticise the Opposition would realise that if not for the lead we took in this fight, the Government would have passed these unheard of tax breaks for casinos, burdening the people even more. Now the Government must apply the existing law and immediately shut down all illegal casinos in Colombo or legalise them by issuing licenses via a yet-to-be established Casino Regulator after calling for applications from fit and proper persons by publishing licensing criteria in all three languages as specified in the Casino Business (Regulations) Act of 2010. At the very least, operations of all casinos must be suspended until such time. While we believe in the market economy and encourage private enterprise, we also believe that casinos cannot be allowed to operate unregulated, particularly given the massive negative externalities they create, be it drugs, crime, money laundering and prostitution, besides the general deterioration of society. Therefore we hope Mr. Packer would not once again seek tax breaks from the Parliament of Sri Lanka until and unless he has obtained a legitimate license to operate his proposed casino. This must also apply to the thousands of betting and horse racing establishments dotted around the island.