Horse Racing To Go On Strike In Protest Against Government’s Planned Betting Tax Rise

All scheduled racing successful Britain connected 10 September will beryllium cancelled and nan athletics will, successful effect, spell connected strike, arsenic racing escalates its protests against a Treasury connection to align nan complaint of work charged connected sports betting pinch nan complaint for overmuch much addictive games of axenic chance specified arsenic roulette and online slot machines.

The move to wantonness meetings astatine Uttoxeter, Lingfield, Kempton and Carlisle is expected to consequence successful nan nonaccomplishment of astir £700,000 to nan industry.

The action has been agreed pursuing practice betwixt Jockey Club Racecourses, which operates Kempton and Carlisle; Arena Racing Company, nan usability of Uttoxeter and Lingfield; and nan British Horseracing Authority, nan sport’s ruling body.

Gambling connected games of chance is taxed astatine 21% of an operator’s gross profits, while nan work connected betting – connected racing, sports and different events without a fixed profit separator for nan usability – is group astatine 15%. There is an further complaint of 10% of gross profits for bets connected UK racing for nan statutory Levy, which has returned money to racing since off-course betting was legalised successful nan early 1960s.

The connection to equalise nan work complaint for betting and gaming products was initially floated by nan Treasury successful nan last months of Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, but it survived nan modulation to a Labour management and was nan taxable of a consultation process which closed successful July.

Betting and gaming person been treated separately for taxation purposes since nan Betting and Gaming Act came into unit successful 1961. There is simply a wide belief successful racing that a levelling of nan work rates will make nan athletics much costly for gambling operators and arsenic a result, acold little charismatic erstwhile compared pinch gaming products pinch a guaranteed return.

Alternatives for nan taxation authorities astir gambling see a connection from nan Social Market Foundation thinktank that gaming work could beryllium accrued to 50% and sports betting to 25%, pinch changes to nan Levy strategy ensuring that racing would not suffer out.

The erstwhile premier curate Gordon Brown has besides advocated for a important emergence successful nan work charged connected fixed-margin gaming products.

Launching nan British Horseracing Authority’s run against nan taxation proposals past month, Brant Dunshea, nan BHA’s acting main executive, said nan sport’s stakeholders were “united successful their guidance to nan Treasury’s proposals to harmonise distant gambling duties”. Dunshea added: “If nan chancellor delivers this taxation bombshell astatine nan autumn budget, not only will jobs beryllium mislaid but nan early of Britain’s second-largest spectator athletics will beryllium successful jeopardy.

“This is why it is captious that nan authorities cautiously considers nan statement made by each British racing’s stakeholders and useful alongside america to protect a cherished nationalist institution.” The races mislaid connected 10 September are expected to beryllium added to different cards scheduled astir nan aforesaid time.

The day chosen for nan racing “strike” is 24 hours earlier nan commencement of nan high-profile St Leger gathering astatine Doncaster, which nan premier minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and his wife, Victoria, a keen racing fan, attended past year.