SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sportech Plc has been informed that its planned hearing of its £97 million value added tax repayment claim on its ‘Spot the Ball’ competition has been delayed.
The operator was due to enter its claim hearings on 2 November, however Sportech was that due to a “lack of judicial availability”, its VAT hearing would have to be delayed. At present no new date has been set.
Sportech hearing relates to its September 2014 VAT charge which saw the operator ordered to pay back a £93 million (€115 million) tax rebate after the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) won its appeal against a VAT overpayment claim made by the operator.
Sportech had originally made the claim back in March 2009 for a £40m refund for VAT paid in error on Spot the Ball in the period from 1979 to 1996.
On January 13, Sportech PLC was granted permission to appeal to the UK Court of Appeal in relation to the VAT repayment claim on its “Spot the Ball” game, part of an ongoing battle the company is having with the UK tax authorities over a claims worth more than £90 million.
