Bills aims to ease tax burden for charitable gambling

A number of charitable gambling groups asked for tax relief Friday, saying they are being left with less money each year to help their communities.

The House Commerce Committee approved three bills intended to ease taxes on chartable gambling groups and sent them to the House Taxes Committee.

Sales in 2018 were 15.6 percent higher than the preceding year. Yet, testifiers said, after expenses, more than half of the money left went to taxes and fees.

“Since 2017, as a total group, we have paid more to the state in taxes and fees than we have for our communities and our missions,” stated Allen Lund, executive director of Allied Charities of Minnesota. “… Our local needs are growing. Local charities can respond to local needs faster and more economically.”

According to the Gambling Control Board, the sale of pulltabs, bingo, paddlewheels, raffles and tipboards exceeded $2 billion in 2018, with $1.6 billion paid out in prizes. After prizes, expenses, and state gambling taxes were paid, over $83 million was available for charitable distribution.

The bills approved are:

• HF69, sponsored by Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake), would allow charities to subtract charitable contributions and expenditures for youth recreational and athletic activities, natural resource projects or activities and organizations that recognize military service;
• HF293, sponsored by Rep. Ben Lien (DFL-Moorhead), would reduce the graduated rates of the combined net receipts tax for electronic and paper pulltabs, electronic linked bingo and tipboards; and
• HF294, also sponsored by Lien, which would exempt charitable organizations from sales taxes on gambling equipment.

The respective companion bills — SF219, SF371 and SF437 — each await action by the Senate Taxes Committee.