Last week, the Video Lottery Advisory Council recommended that the General Assembly should cut the table game tax in half, from 29.3% to 15%, and eliminate the yearly $3 million fee. This Council says Delaware’s table game taxes and fees are the highest in the country and make the industry unprofitable.
Senator Brian Bushweller, who represents the Dover area where Dover Downs is located, has sponsored legislation in 2015 and 2016 that would have reduced the tax paid by the casinos in Delaware. These bills went no where because Delaware was suffering a structural budget deficit and lawmakers did not want to reduce revenue.
But that is the point entirely. For too long, Delaware lawmakers have relied on gimmick revenue sources like unclaimed corporate property and casino revenue to balance the budget and to keep taxes on the wealthy in Delaware insanely low. To get the General Assembly to kick its addiction to these gimmick and make them face the hard work of making our tax structure fair so that the wealthy pay more, we should end all taxes and fees on the casinos while at the same time raising taxes on the wealthy by creating two new income brackets above $250,000. It can be in the same bill and the retiring Bushweller and the traitor State Representative Andria Bennett can sponsor it.
If the tax on casinos makes them unprofitable what are other states taxing them? Strikes me that like all the rest of the rackets the state seems to love at some point the romance sours and they come looking for money to the generous assembly. Could be worse, they could be trying to open half a dozen more. Like usual.
Exactly. I am trying to prevent a bailout situation while forcing the GA to actually tax those who deserve it.
Typical, tax the wealthy, who are small business owners.
Most small business owners I know don’t make $250,000 a year. It’s mostly corporate executives and lawyers. Again, you show your utter lack of knowledge about any subject.
That is total BS. We run a small business. WE care about our employees, still helping with healthcare and sometimes, loans. We put money back into the CO., to stay, not only competitive but to keep our employees. On average we have employees, that have been with us over 15 years. WE, don’t take home the huge salaries! We also, provide profit sharing. Go pound Alby!
What’s the business you run, so I can be sure not to patronize it?
Read what I wrote again, moron. I said most small business owners DON’T take home $250,000. Jesus, do you take stupid pills every morning or are you like this naturally? Why do you want to come here and parade your illiteracy and ignorance to people you disagree with?
Look up the numbers and get back to me. You are not going to raise $142 million (FY 2016 lottery revenue) by creating new tax brackets that affect the small number of people who earn that much.
FWIW, those numbers are down more than 25% from their peak and are slipping a little more every year. You’ll get your wish with much less disruption if you give them just a bit of tax relief so they stay in business.