Government making seaside arcades a thing of the past?

[badpenny]

Nice bit of old footage of arcades and allwins but what the hell is the government proposing on machine licences & VAT? It sounded to me like it'll affect Vintage Arcades?
This is the last time I post from my Gooseberry my flingers arse tooo fat

[slotalot]

but what the hell is the government proposing on machine licences & VAT?

“Confucius he says”
When short sighted man hammers last nail in coffin lid, he is only going to hit his own thumb in the end!
“In other words”
When the arcades start to close down because of this, any monetary gains to the Government will be wiped out...

[grabber]

Was that last night's show and can it be found on BBC iplayer?

[badpenny]

Yes it was last night's show. I imagine it will be available on the red button as it's BBC.

[slotalot]

Hi try here to watch it, I dont know how long the link will be live
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 6_08_2011/

[pennymachines]

I changed the title of this thread to reflect what seems the likely outcome of this latest proposal. As the Guardian (Friday 26 August) explains, the plan is to charge a percentage of turnover (not profit) on every type of amusement machine: The new slot machine tax will leave us all worse off.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/7098152/oneshowarcadetax/

[operator bell]

Reading some of the comments in that Guardian article, I could have sworn I was reading the Daily Mail. With that kind of reactionary claptrap - from the left! - you have no chance of reversing this by any appeal to the government's sense of justice and fair play.

One of these days I hope to see the middle class say "enough is enough" and revolt. I'm sure they'll make a better job of it than the chavs did.

[malcymal]

Sadly, my local arcade owner (of forty years) with vintage Ballys, Cromptons, etc. is considering his last year in business next year due to this law. For every £1 through his machine he will have to pay 20p tax under this tax change. If machine pays out £1.00, he loses 20p regardless. He has shut down his over £5 section due to massive taxing, not just from inland revenue, but local council and other bodies. What this entails is complicated monitoring of machine meters. You got 100 machines, you have to record meter start, meter end at tax point and multiply by price of play. So if you haven't made a profit, you are taxed regardless, plus all the other taxes; no account taken off expenses, the amount of electricity used, etc.

It's very sad. These damn places like Ladbrokes/Corals etc. and online betting sites have a lot to answer for and I'm sure the government see the sad addicts who fritter hundreds of pounds or more in these FOBTs (fixed odd betting terminals) as an easy target, despite the addicts' misery to themselves and their families. How can we protect the vintage arcades?!?!? Perhaps we should start a Facebook led petition for a reform for the little man running his 1p and 2p machines that give families innocent fun without causing hardship and gambling addiction. I will really be sad when these old arcades shut down, it's a part of my life and seaside trips to the Isle of Wight won't be the same without them.

[slotalot]

Perhaps we should start a Facebook led petition for a reform for the little man running his 1p and 2p machines

In for a Penny ......If anyone starts one, I will be putting my name to it

[malcymal]

There is an e-petitions site isn't there? I think it's something like 10000 e-signatures before it can be considered for examination by govt. Will have a look. Malc.