Government looking to grab more cash from gaming sector

The National Party is suspicious of the Government's discussion paper on gaming machine costs, says Internal Affairs spokesperson Judith Collins.

"This discussion paper is the Government's way of tapping into anti-gambling groups to justify their meddling. Pressure from the National Party and the community forced them to backtrack on their earlier plans, but it seems that the new policy is to target gaming operators.

"Many groups are highly suspicious of these moves by the Government and suspect that this is an excuse to increase the tax take and centralise control over funding.

"The questions asking how much money should be allocated for administrative costs are hopelessly misleading. It's like asking the public how much tax they should pay towards the Department of Internal Affairs.

"We've received hundreds of submissions from sports, school and community groups who want the system left how it is. So far my office has received submissions from 547 sports groups, 145 schools and 245 community groups.

"These groups make up the fabric of our communities and couldn't survive if their funding was cut," said Ms Collins.

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