Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am also concerned regarding the impact of an increase in the betting tax from 1% to 2%. I have raised with the Minister of State my concerns about whether we are generating the proper tax through the system we have in place. Perhaps he will provide an indication that he will review the impact of the 2% tax he is placing on bookmakers to determine whether we can generate the equivalent amount of tax revenue through some other means which avoids hitting the smaller bookmakers in rural towns up and down the country. We should also look at funding gambling addiction services through the tax income generated to support those people who have gambling addictions. I would welcome any comments from the Minister of State and an indication of a review to determine whether the same amount of income can be generated in a way that does not impact the smaller bookmaking firms to a greater extent than it does the large ones.