Finance Act 1987

3 Abolition of general betting duty on on-course bets

(1) General betting duty shall not be chargeable on any bet made on or after 29th March 1987 which is an on-course bet within the meaning of Part I of the [1981 c. 63.] Betting and Gaming Duties Act 1981 (in this section referred to as "the 1981 Act") and, accordingly, with respect to bets made on or after that date, section 1 of the 1981 Act (charge to, and rates of, duty) shall be amended as follows—

(a) in subsection (1) after the words "on any bet" there shall be inserted "which is not an on-course bet and"; and

(b) in subsection (2) the words from the beginning of paragraph (a) to "bet" in paragraph (b) shall be omitted.

(2) With respect to bets made on or after 29th March 1987 but before the betting commencement date within the meaning of section 6 of the [1986 c. 41.] Finance Act 1986, Part III of the [1972 c. 11 (N.I.).] Miscellaneous Transferred Excise Duties Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (in this section referred to as "the 1972 Act") (which made separate provision for Northern Ireland corresponding to that made by the 1981 Act and which ceased to have effect on the betting commencement date except in relation to bets made before that date) shall be deemed to have been amended as follows—

(a) in section 16(1) (charge of duty) after the words "on any bet" there shall be inserted "which is not an on-course bet and"; and

(b) in section 17 (rates of duty) in subsection (1) paragraph (a) and, in paragraph (b), the words from the beginning to "bet" shall be omitted.

(3) In Schedule 1 to the 1981 Act (supplementary provisions)—

(a) in paragraph 1 (definitions) at the end of the definition of "general betting business" there shall be added the words "or would or might involve such sums becoming so payable if on-course bets were not excluded from that duty"; and

(b) in paragraph 2 (power to make regulations for administration of general betting duty) in sub-paragraph (4)(a) after the words "liable for duty" there shall be inserted "or would be or might be or become liable for duty if on-course bets were not excluded from duty".

(4) The amendments made by subsection (3) above shall be deemed to have come into force on 29th March 1987.

(5) During the period beginning with 29th March 1987 and ending with the betting commencement date within the meaning of section 6 of the Finance Act 1986, in Schedule 2 to the 1972 Act (supplementary provisions) the references to a business which involves, or may involve, general betting duty becoming payable by any person and the references to an activity by reason of which a person is or may be or become liable for that duty shall be deemed to have included respectively references to a business which would or might involve that duty becoming payable, and to an activity by reason of which a person would be or might be or become liable for that duty, if on -course bets were not excluded from that duty.