Taxpayers footing Collingwood's pokie bill (Age)

[one-eyed]

Taxpayers footing Magpies' pokie bill
Mark Russell
October 10, 2010
 
THE Collingwood Football Club has used a legal loophole to get taxpayers to help cover $2.7 million it spent on running the club and its pokies venues in the past year, describing the operating costs as a ''community benefit''.

But the club's five poker machines venues - which brought in almost $23 million in revenue - made no community benefit payments to the elderly or the poor in 2009-10, documents filed with the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation show.

Over the past year, Collingwood rose to the top of the pokies ladder, raising $10 million more than the next most lucrative club, Essendon.

Collingwood is one of nine Melbourne-based AFL clubs allowed to claim a tax break of 8.3 per cent on pokies revenue if they can prove they are spending at least that much on community initiatives.

But under a loophole, clubs can claim payments to players and officials, as well as some venue running costs, as a benefit to the community.

Full article here:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/taxpayers-footing-magpies-pokie-bill-20101009-16d37.html

[FNM]

Doesn't it say there are nine other Melbourne-based clubs doing the same?
If that's the case, an unfair article
Or am I missing something?
WP, you're the expert 

[mightytiges]

Doesn't it say there are nine other Melbourne-based clubs doing the same?
If that's the case, an unfair article
Or am I missing something?
WP, you're the expert 

Depends if other clubs are putting part of their gambling proceeds towards the local community. In the Pies case they are giving stuff all. IIRC an AFL club based in the south-east with the worst colours used a similar ploy to extra fund their football department a few years ago.

[dizza]

of course we are. the Premier is a Pies fan.