The NAV has stroke down on the Flipper Museum

The index.hu had turned to the National Tax and Customs’ Gambling Office in paper to ask for an official reason about the necessity of closure of the Flipper Museum. They have got the following response:

‘The NAV’s Gambling Office hasn’t closed and taken away the Flipper Museum’s gambling machines. The Flipper Museum’s inspection had been done by the NAV’s Gabling Office in April and May 2014. As we found out, the machines did not meet the restrictions of the gambling machines. The administrative process had to be made because of the violation of the obligatory registration; due to this, the NAV had decided that the necessary step had to be taken in 2nd July 2014.

With the Museum’s entrance fee which is 500 forints, the visitor can look at the gambling machines and with an additional 2000 forints (250 forints for every additional 15 minutes), the machines could be played with. If someone hadn’t used up their 2 hours gabling time, they could get back their money depending how much time they had used up. This entrance rule is not the same as in the other interactive museums, where if someone pays the entrance fee, they have the opportunity to use the museum’s items without any additional fees.‘

In the middle of June, the Budapest Flipper Museum (the Pbal Gallery in Radnóti Miklós Street) will close down for uncertain time. – said in the Flipper Gallery’s website.

Balázs Pálfi, the founder and owner, has commented on the event in a longer massage. The National Tax and Customs’ Gambling Office had appeared in the museum on the next day of its opening and made a thorough inspection and got the following results:

‘As we found out later from the records, they proposed that all the gambling machines has to transported from the museum because they claimed that the institute violates the gambling regulations and this could be the only solution for the problem.’

The owner said that the Gambling Office had made this action again, twice. Later on, the NAV statement had softened and they welcomed the workers of the Flipper Museum in person. It all seemed that there could be an agreement and the Flipper Museum could make it work, however, the following had happened: In a statement made in July, they have completely rejected the idea.

The Flipper Museum had turned to the court and their trial will be on 17th June. According to the Gambling Office, they had given to the court such harsh petitions that the positive judgment for the Flipper Museum is not likely.

Therefore, the museum will be closed after the trial on 17th June for uncertain time.

The Flipper Museum’s founder, yet, hasn’t given up

If the NAV’s Gambling Office can win the trial and if its informative suggestions would put into force they would have to pay an annual fee to run the institute. I hope that a legitimate operation of the Flipper Museum doesn’t mean a more than 10 thousand million forints yearly fine; in that case the Flipper Museum could be open again.

The fans revolt

In the Facebook, a group has been created with the name: The Flipper Museum cannot be closed!. The group is planning to revolt against the NAV’s decision on 27th or 29th May.

‘Acknowledge that this is not a gambling institute with machines which work with coins. This is a museum; its aim is to prevent the culture. The machines don’t operate with coins and players cannot win money with them. The additional tax which they want to introduce is unreasonable and harmful.’

Additionally to this, another group has been created: Sympathy demonstration for the Flipper Museum. They want to revolt on 14th June against the taxation of their favourite place.

based on the article index.hu
translated by Andrea Tóth

Photo: http://www.flippermuzeum.hu/

Source: http://index.hu