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Town eyes profit from bingo licence increase By HOWARD MOZEL Oakville Beaver Staff hile the Town may be forced by law to administer local bingo licences, its charitable inclinations end with the idea of losing money to cover those costs. As a result, on Monday night the Administrative Services Committee recâ€" ommended raising the cost of bingo and raffle licenses from 2% to 3% of the total value of prize money awarded. Since 1970 the Town has been responsible for the licensing of all binâ€" gos where the winnings do not exceed $3,500 and raffles with prize boards up to $5,000. The province controls all events in excess of those amounts. In 1989, the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations granted municiâ€" palities the power to raise the fee to 3%. According to licensing officer Moira Fogarty, it can cost the Town as much as $100 per application to cover staff time, storage and afterâ€"event reports. If that‘s the case, said Ward 4 councillor Stephen Sparling, it‘s not too much to ask that the Town not operate the system at a loss. Ward 1‘s Kevin Flynn, on the other hand, voted against the increase and said the 2% fee should be maintained for at least a year. While there is a lot of talk for goo around Town Hall these days about financial responsibility and restraint, he continued, charities are the last groups they should start with. . _ Municipalities such as Hamilton,. Stoney Creek, St. Catharines, Burlington and Fort Erie are already charging 3% or plan to do so in the near future. The full Council will have the final say on this matter Monday. In the first six months of this year the Town issued 923 bingo licenses with prizes worth $3,500. At 2%, the municiâ€" pality‘s cut per event was $70, or PupD WHAT DID you CET ON THE TEST. $64,610 in total. Increasing the fee to 3% (or $105 each) would net $96,915 â€" or more than $32,000 than previously collected. A yearâ€"end projection estiâ€" mates the Town would receive more than $65,000 in additional revenues. Another factor which will enter into Council‘s decision is the proposed provincial "downloading" of licensing events with prize packages worth up to $4,500. Under the current system, the Town receives half, or $45, of the 2% licensâ€" ing fee. If the responsibility is shifted entirely to municipalities and the fee" increased by 3%, Oakville could stand to make an additional $94,000. This week‘s vote had been put on hold until it could be determined whether charities hosting the events could recoup the licensing fee at tax time. While Revenue Canada has yet to issue a definitive statement on the matâ€" ter, Fogarty explained that the licensing fee â€" which is paid in full upon applicaâ€" tion â€" is claimed back as part of each charity‘s administrative expenses. These are filed following each event according to Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations regulations. The EVERY MINUTE COUNTS average increase works out to $20 per bingo. Representatives from several groups told the Committee on Monday that, as charitable organizations, they don‘t file tax returns and receive back only a parâ€" tial rebate on the GST paid for hall rentals. Those on hand included spokesâ€" men for Survivors of Strokes, Canadian Diabetes Association, the Altruists of Oakville, both local Legions and the Oakville Aquatic Club. The end result of all this, they say, is that there is simâ€" ply less money going toward their good works. by Steve Nease €661 °T1 A0N ‘AepHq YIAVA4Y 47171IANYVO â€" £ How much time do you have to get out of a fire? Not as much as you think. Real fires are hot, smokeÂ¥ and dark. You may only have a very few minutes to safely escape from fire. If you‘re ever in a fire, don‘t spend time getting dressed or trying to gather valuables. Just get out and stay out. Then call the fire department from a neighbour‘s sake... A Good Health Tip From Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Breakfast Specials . | gr099, BREAKFAST F dil WEEKENDS LE uoo telephone. LUNCH Ey weekenos PA uns rai., sat PAE LICENSED UNDER LLBO