UK Government pays back £59.1m to Rank Group
November 12, 2008 by mbates
The Rank Group plc has announced this week that it have received a repayment from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of £59.1 million from VAT overpayments relating to its Mecca Bingo clubs.
The repayment covers a period of just over five and half years from January 2003 to June 2008 following a ruling relating to VAT and Duties Tribunal ruling in May 2008, HMRC will be appealing against the decision and if the appeal is successful the Rank Group will need to repay the figure plus interest, an appeal dates will be set in early 2009.
The case concerns the application of VAT on games of interval bingo in Rank’s Mecca Bingo clubs, Rank’s believes that the practice goes against the European Union principles on fiscal neutrality. Following the ruling in May 2008, Mecca Bingo has stopped paying VAT on any games of interval bingo since July 2008.
