British horse racing will go on strike today for the first time ever in modern history over taxes.
The Government has proposed to merge existing betting duties into one single rate, which would then be hiked from 15 per cent to 21 per cent, in order to match the rate currently paid by online casinos and games.
The horse racing industry has responded by cancelling all events scheduled to take place today.
As a result, existing fixtures at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton have all been postponed and rescheduled for separate dates.
British horse racing will go on strike today for the first time ever in modern history over taxes
|GB NEWS
It is the first time in modern history that anything of this sort, or on this scale, has been carried out by horse racing.
Members of the industry will instead converge on Westminster in order to push their "Axe the Racing Tax" campaign.
Speaking to GB News, Director of Communications for the British Horse racing Authority, Greg Swift, said that this was an ideal way to plead their case to “parliamentarians of all political persuasions.”
He added: “It brings that message loud and clear to the Chancellor; to number 10 that right across this country, there are communities that are utterly dependent upon horse racing, and if they go ahead with that tax increase, what will happen is, those communities will be massively damaged.”
According to the British Horseracing Authority, each year horse racing adds around £4billion to the national economy, while also providing around 100,000 jobs.
But Mr Swift argues it’s more than that - he said “racing is part of what makes us British.”
“No other sport can match the sort of cultural, societal, economic, sporting significance to Britain,” he said.
The horse racing industry has responded by cancelling all events scheduled to take place today
|GB NEWS
In response to concerns regarding the proposed hikes, a spokesperson from the Treasury said: “We are consulting on bringing the treatment of betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy.
"It is not about increasing or decreasing rates, and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.”