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Last Updated : 2024-04-18 08:56:00
All major investments have tax holidaysLakshman Yapa Abeywardene Minister of Investment Promotion"If Packer went to Singapore he would only have a casino there and that is a completely different issue. Here he is coming for all Mixed Development Projects. His venture will include a 450-room mega complex inclusive of shopping facilities and many other facets, of which a casino will also be a part" Those who have had casinos in the past as well have had to pay taxes under the Betting and Gaming Act, and they have done so. I can think of 5 or 6 individuals who have gradually paid their taxes under this Act. Under the Strategic Development Act concessions are given to Mixed Development Projects. So the tax holidays given are as per the requirements and allowance of that Act. They award these concessions to all Mixed Development Projects and not just this particular venture. Even eminent local business figures all of which have owned or been involved with casinos have paid their taxes under the Gaming and Betting Act. Under the permit they have received under that Act, they have negotiated in their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to transfer their places of business to Mixed Development Projects, which under lawful provisions are given such exemptions. If a foreign investor can invest more than 250mn USD then under this Act, such tax holidays are provided for all such investments and not only this particular one. If Packer went to Singapore he would only have a casino there and that could be a completely different issue. Here he is coming for all Mixed Development Projects. His venture will include a 450-room mega complex inclusive of shopping facilities and many other facets, of which a casino will also be a part. I don’t understand why issues of legality are arising only now. In the last 30 years even under the UNP these casinos have been in existence and have been taxed under the Betting and Gaming Act. All of this occurred without any licences being issued. These issues never came up at that time, so now why are issues of legality being questioned? |
Casinos bring with them more issues than percievedChampika Ranawaka JHU General Secretary-Minister of Technology research and atomic energy"Casinos bring with it many problems that are quite clear to anyone, but some of these consequences may be bigger than have been envisaged. It would create drug and prostitution rings, and casino tycoons may hamper the independent governance of the state" “The JHU is in principle against gambling altogether. In Sri Lanka gambling is currently legal under the Gambling Act. If this is to continue it needs a lot more regulation. In 2011the Finance Ministry introduced the Casino Control Act and under this Act by January 1, 2012 the zones in which casinos were allowed were to be demarcated and licence requirements were laid out. To my knowledge no such zone has been declared nor has any licence been obtained, which makes them illegal. Nevertheless these casinos have got approval and the projects are proceeding without any hindrance which makes it clear that the Act has not been implemented and regulation is not taking place as expected. Casinos bring with them many problems that are quite clear to anyone, but some of these consequences may be bigger than have been envisaged. They would create drug and prostitution rings, and casino tycoons may hamper the independent governance of the state. Thailand is one country where this is most visible and many of these problems have escalated rapidly because they were so willing to incorporate such measures. There is a wide growth in ‘transactional sex’ which is not a desirable feature in any society. How it escalates depends on the country it is carried out in. Countries such as the USA and UK have seen it come about as a result of a gradual cultural development, but we are a small country which is more prone to degradation than the countries which adjusted to it gradually. It could also create a state within a state which makes it more difficult to control; Gujarat and Goa which are now financially independent of central Indian governance are good examples of this. Adding to this it will adversely affect the economies as well. Leisure dependent economy’s are unstable and Sri Lanka is already a heavily service and leisure dependent economy, so we must focus on basing it more on agricultural industries which are more stable. Introducing more leisure oriented industries will only add to this problem and pose a further threat to the agricultural industries which are already neglected. Although it may bring in some revenue, it could end up siphoning money out of the country as well, and because of BOI companies and tax concessions we will lose a lot of revenue which could have been used to control the budget deficit.” |
Govt. showing two faces to the countryDr. Harsha De Silva UNP Economic spokesman"Without the regulator issuing a licence Packer cannot come here. These licences are 100-page documents and can’t be drawn up overnight, some countries take up to a year to draft them. To add to this Packer has given a draft of the licence he wants, this is absurd" “Sri Lanka has set a new Guinness world record for being the first government to give tax exemptions and the highest concessions to casinos. It is against the interest of the country to award such exemptions because the economic implications are vast. The Mixed Development Projects ‘iconic’ of John Keells and the ‘Crown Casino’ in James Packer’s Lake Leisure have no taxes. Even on the face of which it is not difficult to realise that there’s something amiss. Why is it that the people are taxed higher and high end enterprises like casinos are not? People are taxed to the absolute core. This is not the way a government should tax people - there should be more direct taxes and less indirect tax. I respect John Keells for declining this exemption and maintaining that the tax exemption on hotels is sufficient. This is an act of good corporate social responsibility from a flourishing national industry. Even in Australia a casino recently opened having agreed to a 29 percent income tax, and the Australian-born James Packer who has failed to obtain exemptions there, has succeeded here. If John Keells has waived the exemption then why exempt only him? We should not let these regulations pass. It will be discussed under the Strategic Development Act in parliament and must be voted against and defeated. All countries have laws which strictly regulate casinos and we have such laws too although they are not enforced. Without the regulator issuing a licence Packer cannot come here. These licences are 100-page documents and can’t be drawn up overnight, some countries take up to a year to draft them. To add to this Packer has given a draft of the licence he wants, which is absurd. Even if licences are granted it is under the strict regulatory conditions of the state granting it, not of the casino owner. No such licensing has taken place and until it does, these casinos are illegal. As of the January 1, 2012 the Casino Control Act makes all casinos without licences illegal, and makes those violating this liable for imprisonment up to 5 years. Without a licence there is no room to have a casino anywhere in this country. So then why has a gazette notice been passed allowing these concessions in the knowledge that they are unlicensed and unlawful? The government is showing one face to the religious leaders by maintaining that they are not licencing casinos but are at complete cross purposes here, because without licencing they cannot have the casinos. |
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