21 JULY 1928, Page 3

On Wednesday Mr. Churchill surprised the House of Commons by

announcing changes in the Betting Duty. He will reduce- the duty from 2 per cent. to 1 per cent. on the course and from 3i per cent. to 2 per cent. else- where ; but the changes will be conditional on the passing of the Racecourse Betting Bill. He also pro- posed to double the fee for bookmakers' licences, but this increase cannot take effect this year. -If it doe& take effect, it may be part of a wider scheme for graded licences. He accepts a nominal loss to the revenue this year of £1,250,000. Evidently he thinks it wise to make the best of 'a bad job. The estimated • revenue could not have been obtained in any case. There has been widespread evasion. He looks to the Totalisator to recoup himself. *