Sir, - There are 350 independent bookmakers in Ireland employing some 2,000 people. Like them or loathe them (and we all do depending on the result), bookmakers are as integral to the life and spirit of an Irish country town as the pub or the newsagent. We are a sports-loving nation, enjoying the excitement of an occasional flutter, and the local bookmaker caters for that interest.
This aspect of our way of life and culture is now under threat. Unless action is taken to protect small bookmakers from the changed betting tax environment in the UK and the actions of the large Irish bookmaking chains, we will become an endangered species. It is now possible for the Irish punter to bet tax-free in the UK through the phone or by Internet from Ireland. In fact, at least one larger Irish-based bookmaker will provide you with the phone or Internet connection to make the call from its betting shops here in Ireland for a minimal deposit.
It is imperative that the Minister for Finance, who has been visionary in his approach to betting tax reform, acts again by bringing our betting tax back in line with the UK's. If he does not, like so many other aspects of Irish life, your local bookmaker will be part of an anonymous UK chain or cartel of big business. - Yours, etc.,
Brian O'Farrell, Chairman, Irish Independent Betting Office Association, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.