81

News

Tax minister to end late-night gambling

admin
September 30th, 2014


This article is more than 10 years old.

Tax cheating and embezzlement precipitates government intervention

In response to widespread undeclared work and systematic embezzlement from charitable funds, the tax minister, Benny Engelbrecht, has revealed he wants to close gambling arcades at night, Politiken reports.

As part of a political intervention being submitted to parliament this week, the government will also seek to abolish a 95 percent tax deduction for money donated to local organisations such as sports clubs.

His decision follows the results of recent inspections and the findings of TV2 programme 'Operation X', which uncovered the widespread embezzlement of funds.

Mixed reactions
“We’re talking about such extensive cheating and fraud that mere inspections aren’t enough in this sector anymore. I can’t see any other solution if we want to stop the big offenders,” Engelbrecht told Politiken.

The proposal has been met with mixed reactions.

Mads Rørvig, the chairman of the parliamentary tax commission, is sceptical.

“It’s a pretty comprehensive measure to prevent the whole sector from conducting business at certain times of the day,” he said.

But Henrik Brandt from the centre for gambling addiction is delighted with the news.

“It’s great that gambling arcades are closing at night-time,” he said.

“Because it goes without saying that you’ve got a serious problem if you’re sitting in a place like that in the middle of the night.”


Share

Most popular

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive The Daily Post

















Latest Podcast

A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”