Bring back long lunch, says Gold Coast restaurateur Simon Gloftis

A LEADING restaurateur's push to revive the tax-deductible long lunch is finding favour in Federal Government circles.

Simon Gloftis on tax deductible long lunches: “It would be a silver bullet.” Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

A Gold Coast restaurateur’s plea to bring back the tax-deductible long lunch to kickstart hospitality and save sector jobs is finding favour in Federal circles.

Simon Gloftis, who founded Hellenika and The Fish House on the Gold Coast before selling up and relocating to Brisbane, says reviving corporate “long lunches” which had its heyday in the 1980s would be a “silver bullet”.

Hellenika at The Calile owner Simon Gloftis and SK Steak and Oyster partner Kelvin Andrews. (AAP image, John Gass)

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“It absolutely would be a silver bullet. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t think of a better way to kickstart hospitality and I can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t do it.

“Plus there is the humanitarian side - people need to go out and socialise with their workmates once they can. Why do that in a boardroom?

“Everyone knows business deals are done over lunch. After being locked up for a long time, people will be crying out for it.”

Then-Treasurer Paul Keating burst the long-lunch bubble in 1986 when he introduced the fringe benefits tax to minimise the hit to government revenue from salary packaging.

Angie Bell: ‘I’ll raise long lunch tax deductibility with the Treasurer asap’. Picture: Jerad Williams

Gold Coast Federal MP Angie Bell is showing some appetite for helping Mr Gloftis revive the long lunch telling the Bulletin today: “There are a lot of local hospitality businesses doing it tough and I’m very open to the idea of a pause on the Fringe Benefits Tax to help get people back in jobs.

“I will raised with with the Treasurer this week in Parliament,” she said.”

Mr Gloftis has relocated to the Gold Coast while his swanky new Brisbane ventures Hellenika at The Calile as well as recent addition SK Steak and Oyster are in “hibernation”.

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