By Ian Neubauer
Three hundred NSW hotels have applied for a scheme that allows them to defer payment of $18.6 million in taxes drawn from gaming revenue.
The scheme, which was originally offered to registered clubs only, was made available to hotels in September and is geared to offset declining revenues attributed to the indoor smoking ban that came into effect in July last year.
The NSW Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing (OLGR), which administers the scheme, said it has approved 241 applications and refused the remaining 59.
Hotels approved for the scheme will be able to pay gaming revenue in three monthly instalments instead of as a lump sum at the end of each quarter.
The OLGR said the average downturn in gaming revenue for hotels participating in the scheme stands at 24.5 per cent for the 12 months ending September 30, compared to the same period last year.
The figure represents roughly double the statewide average decline in hotel gaming revenue of 12.6 per cent.
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