Edinburgh MP supports bingo

John Barret MP from Edinburgh West has come out vociferously in support of bingo operators in the UK who have been asked to pay a steep tax. The tax is causing them to either close down or look for other locations which are favorable to run their businesses, Gibraltar being one of them because it is tax free.

While many land based bingo clubs have shifted base, there are those who are putting up a united front and have asked the government to reconsider this increase in taxes from a 15% to 22%. The Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, John Barret is supporting the cause and has also signed an online petition which is being sent to Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. This petition will ask Brown to reconsider the tax hike levied on these clubs and if possible even revoke it.

Bingo halls across the UK are being shut down and news about bingo clubs struggling to survive is an everyday item on the local news.

John Barret was quoted as saying that although bingo is not a very fashionable cause to take up with the government, but it forms the crux of community life in many neighbourhoods in the UK.