# NCVO calls for 12% tax on National Lottery to be split between good causes and prizes

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2003/10/31/ncvo-calls-12-tax-national-lottery-be-split-between-good-causes-and-prizes/
- Published: 2003-10-31T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is calling for the

 

12% tax on every National Lottery ticket worth £549 million per year to be

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split between good causes and lottery players instead of going to the

 

Government.
NCVO is concerned that the new lottery distributor, to be created by
the merger of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund, will have to reduce
the money going to good causes to fund its additional

 

responsibilities which will include running a National Lottery day and publicising
lottery funded projects.

 

 

There is also widespread concern in the voluntary sector that the merger will lead
to more money going to the Government’s own projects such as the Olympic bid for
London or areas like health and education that would normally have been funded through
general taxation. NCVO’s submission to the Government in response to the Department
for Culture Media and Sport’s (DCMS) discussion

 

paper on reform of the lottery, calls for the Treasury’s slice of lottery cash to
go to good causes and boost prizes. The DCMS consultation closes today.

 

 

Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO said: ‘I do not believe that the public
want the lottery to be just another Government tax sparing only 28p from the sale
of each Lotto ticket and scratch card for good causes. If the Government are serious
about re-connecting the lottery with the people then they should give half their
annual £549 million tax cut to the good causes and half back to the players. Then
we might actually see some recovery in the tired National Lottery, which would be
great news for the thousands of good causes throughout the UK that now depend on
lottery cash and great news for the players.”

 

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