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AUSTRALIAN BETTING TICKETS NOW TAXED. The government tax upon boofcaiakcra ami lx-tting tic k.-.s came into force in New S. nth Wales on Saturday last, and Die stamp representing a penny or a halfpenny baa already been Impressed upon lully a mOliou and a quarter tickets, the greater number of course, being tor tiie smaller amount. Satisfactory arrangements were made in behalf of those country bookmakers who were unable to get stamped tickets prior to the beginning of the year, and. so far as can be learned, there was no lacou venienee in any quarter. As previously pointed out. tie stamp tax will fall he.ivih en bookmakers operating in the Leger or on the Hat than those in the paddock at anv course, and there is a difference of opinion on the part ..i layers as to whether tiokels should be i.-sued when bets are booked and n l cash. At Randwlck on Monday some of Die layers bamed a ticket witli every bet recorded, while others onlv did -o in the case of cash. Their action was not due to any desire to evade the tax. bill they were uncertain whether it wa- Intended a ticket should b Imu.d in the case if a credit bet. D is said the Colonial secretary may be asked to give a decision, bin though a widely different interpretation is possible in connection with some clauses of the act. the one bearing on the issue of tickets would appear to be fairly definite. It reads: -Anv b ., maker who makes a bet -hall forthwith Issue to the person with whom he beta a betting ticket duly stamped, and if he fails to do so he shall be liable !":■ each offense to a penalty not less than two pounds in r mare than ten pi umis" To mj way of thinking, it is almost impossible f i- thai to be Interpreted any other way than that a ticket noes with earn wager. As to the amount of revenue the tax will bring to the treasury annually from the whole state, there is a wide "margin of computations, figure- submitted to the government ranged from 0125,000 to 50,000, but it is bv no means Improbable that even tin- larger sen win be exceeded. Regarding Die direct tax to be paid to the government by bookmakers operating In tbe metropolitan area, it i- accepted that , for the paddock and $. for the Leger covers the whole of the "horse" courses in the f rty miles radius apart from Randwlck not 00 ami 0 ror each course and that is bow Die act :s to be administered It i- tin- came with tin- metropolitan "pony" com sen the total payment I r the four by paddock hook- tuakers being sioo an! tor the Leger 0 Pilot in Bydyney Referee of January r .
