Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support my colleague. It is 12 months since we initiated this tax increase. As the Department will be aware, bookmakers are closing office in small towns and so on in rural Ireland. It is hard enough to lose post offices and other facilities in our towns and villages but it is also hard when one sees towns being hit with the closure of other businesses and premises. These businesses create employment and it has a knock-on effect for the other establishments. As Deputy McGrath said, we need a review of this tax. The Minister has initiated a procedure with the €50,000 cap, but nowadays one must ask how many bets that would take? It does not do any good for the larger outlets who have shops in our towns and major villages. Perhaps the €50,000 cap could take into account that some businesses operate across different units. This is the only way we can keep the bookmakers' shops open.

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