Dobbin signs bingo bond

Jim Dobbin MP with his signed 'bingo bond'

Jim Dobbin, Labour MP for Heywood & Middleton, has pledged his support to the Bingo industry by signing a Bingo Bond.

The ‘bingo bond’ is a formally signed declaration that can be signed by MPs and Parliamentary candidates to show their support and commitment to the bingo industry’s campaign to have a fair tax regime.

In the 2009 Budget it was announced that the bingo industry would pay a Gross Profit Tax (GPT) set at 22% in place of VAT. This imposed a higher tax burden on the industry at a time when clubs were closing at their fastest ever rate.

The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced in his Budget that Bingo Duty is to be cut from 22 to 20% from the end of the March. Whilst the industry sees this as a step in the right direction, the industry feels more still needs to be done. Tax on other forms of gambling – some of which have no community benefits or notable employment – starts at 15%, a situation that the indutry says is "grossly unfair" for Bingo.