MY CALL: CALLING THE CORPORATE'S BLUFF
By David Fowler | Tuesday, June 5, 2018
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
I don't believe the veiled threats from corporate bookies regarding the point of consumption tax to be announced in next Tuesday's Queensland state budget.
At the same time, I must say, I'm impressed by the weight of their PR onslaught to try and fend off the tax.
You could almost believe what they say might come true.
But it won't.
You can't blame them for trying. I don't know anyone who enjoys paying tax let alone having to cop a new one.
South Australia got the ball rolling at the start of the last financial year at a 15% rate yet the corporate's lobby arm successfully executed an 8% rate to be introduced into Victoria.
Now the corporates' crusade is on again after it was discovered the Queensland state government would go down the 15% route.
And again the grab bag of threats has been dutifully rolled out.
Punters will have to pay, "they say". Worse prices, maybe no prices at all. Marketing cuts in the promotion of the state.
A review of the last year of the South Australian-corporates relationship with a POC tax has revealed precious little evidence of this.
While they might be in unison on their opposition to the tax, they're not as solid in delivering on their threats.
It's the same old story. If your opposition curtails a part of their commercial behaviour, you will exploit it to your own advantage.
If you're the only corporate in town you can do what you like. But that's not the case as we know.
The corporates can't be knocked in their PR exercise against the tax but the state Government should stare them down.
They should ignore a fairly shallow bluff.
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While the point of consumption tax is a certainty, what rate will be charged and where the lucre lands are very much up in the air.
I'm reliably informed Treasury have been late to the party of this particular issue which has seen the racing industry go into overdrive to plead the revenue should come back to the industry.
There was a strong suggestion at the last election that the POC tax revenue would fund the country racing prizemoney package which was a key plank of Labor's re-election pitch to the racing industry.
That makes sense but some financial modelling suggests there will be plenty left in the tin even after honouring that commitment.
It seems fair and reasonable that a tax that is derived from the racing industry should be returned to it.
But that's being fair and reasonable, isn't it!
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As the Ben Currie affair draws out, it's life as a news story waxes and wanes.
It's almost two months since this became a story.
Such indifference to the matter is not meant to lessen the gravity of Currie protecting his innocence or QRIC upholding integrity.
As reported here previously, the stakes continue to raise for both parties.
But what will happen later this month will again throw the spotlight on a serious flaw in the Queensland racing justice system.
Currie has been already been charged on 31 counts and in my opinion it's a $1.01 shot that those charges will stand and penalty will be delivered at an adjourned inquiry.
Ultimately, Currie will appeal to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) and then it's anyone's guess when that appeal will be heard.
And that's what's "rotten in Denmark".
These appeals can sometimes take months to be heard. It's simply not good enough.
And it's a saga that has not been addressed, and if it has, certainly no successful outcome has been achieved.
This ludicrous situation serves neither party well.
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The Group Ones this Saturday will be outstanding contests.
No one can ever accurately predict how strong or weak a race will be as so much can unfold in a short space of time.
The threat of showery weather on a susceptible track is a disappointing distraction but dropping a race and going back to the true rail position are measures that can significantly offset the results of such a scenario.
Capacity fields with multiple genuine winning chances will ensure powerful betting turnover and great spectacles.
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It was good to hear Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell announce "an end of year" return to racing at Eagle Farm when he was a guest on my PRESS ROOM program on Radio TAB this week.
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