Jockeys swapped the racecourse for Parliament Square on Wednesday as racing descended on Westminster to demonstrate its opposition to proposed betting tax changes.
Fixtures scheduled for Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton were cancelled in an unprecedented move aimed at highlighting the impact on racing’s finances that a rise from the current 15 per cent duty on racing to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance could have.
Economic analysis commissioned by the British Horseracing Authority has suggested the feared tax rise could cost racing at least £66m and put 2,752 jobs at risk in the first year, with BHA chair Lord Allen labelling it “nothing short of an existential threat for our sport”.
Alongside the record-breaking Hollie Doyle, Oisin Murphy and Tom Marquand in London were Paul O’Brien, Saffie Osborne, Kieran Shoemark, Lilly Pinchin and former rider Richard Johnson, all clad in ‘Axe The Racing Tax’ silks provided by the BHA.
They posed for press photographs holding a banner bearing the same slogan, while a mobile LED billboard lapped the square followed by a horse statue also branded in the insignia.
Various broadcast crews gathered alongside the photographers, with the photo-call preceding an event at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre where leading industry figures spoke out against proposed changes to taxation.
Leading trainer John Gosden said: “The implications are very dangerous. We’re starting from a very weak position and this will take the lifeblood out of the game.
“I have 100 employees and I won’t be able to sustain that. I’ve been able to sustain that number this year, but if this continues the way it is going, I’ll soon be in the situation of laying off 10, 20 or 30 people.
“That would be tragic, I desperately don’t want to be in that position and you’re talking to someone at the top of the tree – imagine how it is for the guys halfway down. If I can see the impact, that means they are already in the grinder.
John Gosden was a speaker at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre
“We are not asking for anything other than to be left alone, I understand the Government’s position but I think this is something that will rebound.”
Alex Ballinger, Labour MP and part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for gambling reform, commented: “We’re very interested in reducing some of the harms of addictive forms of gambling, but there’s a clear difference I think between horseracing – a very traditional sport with quite a slow-paced form of gambling and supports a lot of jobs in the community – and online casinos, which are very gamified, very addictive and much more harmful when you look at statistics.
“We think harmonisation is the wrong thing to do and in fact we should be looking at differentiation, where more harmful forms of gambling like online casinos and online slots pay more tax.
“The consultation that’s out at the moment, I understand we inherited that from the last government, so this was their proposal. I haven’t heard that the Government is intending to implement harmonisation, they’re consulting on the process and there have been so many voices that have said this is the wrong thing to do and we should be looking at the differentiation.
“Yes it’s about raising money because there is a problem with the budget. We do need to raise money to pay for important things like reducing child poverty, pay for the NHS and pay for some of the harms more addictive forms of gambling can cause, but I think the way we do that is targeting those online casinos rather than horseracing.
“I think taxation is an important step and the more dangerous things should be taxed more – in the same way smoking or alcohol is taxed a little bit more, more dangerous forms of gambling should be approached in the same way.
“In discussions I’ve had with ministers they’ve been very sympathetic [about racing’s position], they’ve been listening and I haven’t found it a difficult argument to make.”
Trainer Andrew Balding also shared his views on the proposed tax hikes, stating: “There is no question in my mind as to the damage the Treasury’s tax proposals could do to racing and it’s something I’m extremely concerned about. We employ 90 full-time members of staff at Kingsclere and it is no exaggeration to say their jobs, and those at other yards and studs across Britain, would be threatened by the harmonisation that is being consulted on.
“The viability of businesses such as ours depends on British racing’s success. If the forecast financial impact were to become reality the ramifications will be felt in every corner of our industry.
“I sincerely hope that the action we are taking today, coupled with the ongoing lobbying efforts of our sport’s leaders, will lead Government to reconsider and do all it can to protect what is such a valuable asset for our country.”
