BETTING AND SWEEPSTAKE DUTIES (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

11.37 a.m.

The Financial Secretary (Mr T. M. Hart): Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill, Sir, seeks to raise the existing duty on sweepstakes from 20 per cent to 30 per cent. Sir, I beg to move.

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Sir, I second it.

Question proposed.

11.39 a.m.

Mr R. Jumabhoy (Telok Ayer): Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think that I am in a position to object to the Bill, but I want to draw the attention of the Government to the fact that this increased duty on sweepstakes will be a definite hardship to a poor wage-earner. I will explain why it is so.

From my experience, it is the poor man, the wage-earner, the worker, who invests more in sweepstakes. Sir, I have been a member of the Singapore Turf Club for many, many years. It is usually the rich man who goes to the race-course for a cup of tea, takes a stroll and hardly invests any money in the sweepstakes; so he goes back home with his money. On the other hand, it is the poor man who invests in sweepstakes and this increased duty is an indirect taxation on him.

11.40 a.m.

The Minister for Communications and Works (Mr Francis Thomas): Mr Speaker, Sir, I must disagree with the Member for Telok Ayer. The hardship on the poor man is when he is lured into wasting his money on gambling instead of spending it on his family, as he should do. Anything which we can do to discourage him from, not "investing", but throwing away his money in this foolish way is a removal of hardship from the poor man; and if this tax does not remove the hardship, at least it will benefit the exchequer.

11.41 a.m.

Mr Lim Choon Mong (Serangoon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I welcome the increase in duty on sweepstakes and I personally hope that this will prevent or discourage many people from investing in lotteries; and if government revenue should fall because people are going to refrain from investing in lotteries, I think I will feel all the happier for it.

However, I want Government to take note of one point, and that is, if you increase the duty on sweepstakes, does it not then make illegal lotteries even more attractive to the man in the street? Will it not divert people who might gamble on the Turf Club to other forms of gambling? I would like Government to think of it seriously, because the idea is that we should prevent people from all forms of gambling.

Mr Hart rose -

Mr Speaker: Mr Financial Secretary, in reply?

Mr Hart: Yes, Sir. Mr Speaker, Sir, we will take careful note of the remarks passed by the Member for Serangoon and the Member for Telok Ayer.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time.