Results 27,521-27,540 of 35,894 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 19:In page 42, to delete lines 19 to 39, and in page 43, to delete line 1.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: Let us use the Paddy Power company as an example. In this case Paddy Power online and its high street stores would be exempt from VAT but I think they should pay a betting duty. My amendment focused on betting exchanges. They do not take a bet and they do not lay a bet but provide a service for one person to lay a bet and another person to take a bet. The exchanges do not take or lay a...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I have pursued this matter for a couple of years in parliamentary questions. I specifically seek the legislation that exempts them from VAT.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: Exactly. We have lost a huge amount of money due to this provision. The exchanges set the odds across the industry in Ireland, they are massive and have not paid their tax. I do not understand why they are exempt from paying VAT. They also do not pay betting duty. If betting exchanges are in competition with bookmakers then they should pay betting duties.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: That is okay. My amendment sought to deal with this matter comprehensively. I ask that a report on VAT for exchanges and legacy issues is prepared.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: Based on the fact that we will have the note, I presume, before Report Stage I will withdraw my amendment but I have a right to resubmit.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 32: In page 41, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following:“38. The Minister shall within 3 months of the passing of this Act present to the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on his or her future plans for betting duty and the funding of the horse racing and greyhound racing industries.”.My amendment deals with the issue that we identified earlier such...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: The amendment deals with the important issue of how gambling affects people. Gambling is not an enjoyable experience for a large proportion of people. People chase bets and hope for a silver lining but families and lives are destroyed in the process. It would be nice if it were true that only large corporate entities created a gambling culture. However, the State encourages gambling...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 29: In page 41, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: "38. Section 32 of the Principal Act is repealed.".In examining the old Betting Act, the fact that the law is still in force probably signifies why we need a new gambling control Act to bring all these pieces of legislation under one umbrella. Today in law it is the case that if a bookie creates any...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: Donegal beat Mayo. The fact this is illegal led me to examine this section of the Bill. The point of the correspondence was not that I should report the Taoiseach for involvement in illegal activity in a Paddy Power shop or the journalist or shop owner who may have breached the law when the photograph was printed. The point was instead the archaic laws which exist for this sector. A...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: No.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I will not press the amendment as the Minister is not here. Perhaps better wording could be utilised but the section must be repealed. It just does not make any sense unless there is a valid argument to include it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: It is interesting that the debate in the Houses of the Oireachtas in 1932 was that odds can be advertised but not for a local football match. That probably goes back to a time when there was plenty of fighting at matches, so it may have been an incitement.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I will push the issue.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: There is nothing to stop us removing that section.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: On the off-chance that Mayo make it through the championship this year, it would be deeply regrettable if the Minister of State refused to amend the section, which could lead to the Taoiseach being arrested.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 31: In page 41, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: “38. The Minister shall direct the Revenue Commissioners to present him or her with a report on the VAT status of those in the betting industry within 3 months of the passing of this Act which will examine the past VAT liabilities of the actors in the industry.”.This is a bit of a hobby horse...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: We are discussing the Betting (Amendment) Bill. If we look at online gambling, sport represents a small proportion of the overall book; it is what attracts people in. The heavy money is spent on the roulette tables, the poker tables, Texas hold 'em and other such games. None of that is taxed in this country. We are taxing online gambling for the first time but we are only taxing a small...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: I have for many years suggested increasing the rate to 3%. If we were to increase the rate to 3% and without changing anything else, high street bookies would be put out of business overnight. High street bookies are going out of business overnight for other reasons, such as people moving to using mobile phones and so forth. However, there will be a certain level at which that will plateau...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Pearse Doherty: An interesting conversation has been opened up because an impression was given that the levy on online gambling would be able to sustain the horse and greyhound fund. Whether we like it or not, even a 1% online levy will not make up the shortfall in the fund, which the Exchequer has supplemented each year through its revenues along with the 1% levy on high street bookies. Despite the...