AGCC director pledges support to those hit by UK POC tax
André Wilsenach, the executive director of the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), has vowed to support those companies impacted by new point-of-consumption (POC) tax laws in the UK.
As of November 1, 2014, operators providing remote gambling services to customers in the UK must hold a remote licence from the UK Gambling Commission.
Despite this new law, if an operator is based within the AGCC’s jurisdiction, then they are still required to also hold an AGCC licence or certificate.
Wilsenach said to minimise this “double regulation”, the AGCC will adopt a flexible approach to compliance monitoring for operators that primarily accept UK players.
“Following the introduction of POC regulation, it no longer makes sense for both the UKGC and AGCC to focus on ensuring player protection,” Wilsenach said.
“AGCC has always enjoyed a close working relationship with the UKGC, and as responsibility for the protection of UK consumers passes from us to the UKGC, we are determined that this should continue.
“Insofar as the role of the AGCC in respect of UK facing operators based in Alderney is concerned, we will in future only focus on those areas where we have a duty to protect the reputation of the jurisdiction such as the suitability of management and control, the ongoing solvency of the Alderney entity and compliance with international standards in respect of AML/ CFT.”
Wilsenach said that the AGCC would also attempt to eliminate the “double taxation” of revenue from UK customers.
Fees for Category 1 AGCC licensees are banded according to the Net Gaming Yield (NGY) generated from their activities.
The introduction of the Remote Gaming Duty in the UK at 15% from December 1, 2014, meant that AGCC operators would be hit by “double taxation”.
In response, the AGCC advised operators the calculation of fees for licence renewals from November 1, 2014, would exclude any NGY from customers based in the UK.
This exclusion applies to licence fees for all operators licensed in Alderney and doing business in the UK.
