In a written reply to a question by the NNP's Dr Edwin Conroy in the National Council of Provinces, Manuel said the VAT revenue on general gambling activities had jumped from R31.5 million in 1999/2000 to R105.974 million in the following book year. The rise was almost solely as a result of lottery ticket sales, because the National Lottery only started functioning in March 2000.
The figures exclude most gambling activities at the larger casinos, because as larger businesses they do not identify their VAT on gambling activities separately.
Manuel said there are no figures available on what percentage of VAT from gambling activities is collected from poorer people. The tickets are sold by private companies on behalf of the State, and they are not expected to determine the financial circumstances of their customers.