HC Deb 07 December 1954 vol 535 cc756-7
19. Mr. Lewis

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of licence fees he received from bookmakers on greyhound racecourses and horse racecourses during 1953; and how the figures compare with the revenue obtained in 1952.

Mr. H. Brooke

The amount received in licence duty from bookmakers on greyhound racecourses in 1953 was £1,797,787, compared with £1,882,473 in 1952. Bookmakers on horse racecourses are not liable to this duty.

Mr. Lewis

Is the Minister aware that there is at present a discriminatory tax on the tote at greyhound racecourses, and will he ask the Chancellor to give favourable consideration to putting this tax and the totalisator tax on the same basis as all other taxes on betting?

Mr. Brooke

I will draw the attention of my right hon. Friend to what the hon. Member has said, but the reasons for this differentiation were given in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Hammersmith, North (Mr. Tomney) on 11th February.

Sir G. Braithwaite

Will my hon. Friend take note of the fact that, in the opinion of the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis), greyhounds are of greater importance than children?

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