Gaming Tax in Spain Discriminatory Says EU

Written by:
Jagajeet Chiba
Published on:
Feb/15/2010

The European Union has been struggling in recent years to keep its own members in line, so to speak, when it comes to online gambling legislation.

France, Germany and the Netherlands are just a few of the EU nations that have thumbed their noses at the EU, as has the U.S. for that matter.

Spain, on the other hand, has been a little more accommodating.

But the EU is now calling Spain out on what it sees as a "discriminatory" tax.

From Gaming Zion.com:

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has an issue with Spanish gambling laws - specifically as they apply to gambling tax in Spain. As things stand right now, players who win money through lotteries and games of chance that are offered by certain domestic entities are not required to pay any tax on their winnings. Conversely, players who win money through foreign-based lotteries and games of chance must pay taxes on their winnings.

Gambling Zion notes that the ECJ has found that the "Spanish tax exemptions cannot be justified on the grounds of protecting the social order because they encourage gambling and may therefore be self-defeating".

It is not yet clear what actions, if any, the ECJ will take against Spain.

Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com

 

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