Poll: Is the GBGA right to fight PoC tax?

The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association’s battle with the UK government rumbles on and the lobbying group will now be focusing its efforts on trying to prevent the Treasury from implementing a 15% profit tax.

The GBGA said it had applied for a judicial review of a decision which is expected to see the UK Treasury raise around £300m a year in tax receipts from remote operators starting from 1 December.

The news comes shortly after the GBGA was defeated in its attempt to stop the UK government from introducing a new Point of Consumption (PoC) regulatory regime into Great Britain, which will now come into effect on 1 November.

Many thought the court’s decision – to reject GBGA’s insistence that the licensing regime was unlawful – had brought to an end many months of uncertainty surrounding the UK-facing egaming industry.

But the latest news will no doubt be welcomed by many egaming operators still hopeful of avoiding a levy which many believe could see a number of small to mid-size operators forced out of existence and consumers migrate to the black market.

Others, meanwhile, will be unimpressed by this latest display of resistance from the GBGA with many considering the 15% UK rate to be more than fair, particularly when compared to the stiffer tax regimes of other regulated European neighbours and, in most instances, higher land-based tax rates in the UK.

In light of this, for this week’s eGaming Review poll we would like to know whether you feel the GBGA is right to pursue a case against the PoC tax?

Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.