Horse racing leaders rally in Westminster to oppose proposed betting tax rise

Horse racing’s leading figures staged a high-profile protest in Westminster on Thursday to oppose a government proposal to raise the tax on bookmakers’ racing profits from 15% to 21%, organisers said.

Trainers, jockeys, racecourse executives and industry supporters gathered at the QEII Conference Centre and around Parliament Square as part of the "Axe The Racing Tax" campaign, staging a voluntary blackout of racing fixtures for the first time and postponing meetings at Uttoxeter, Carlisle, Lingfield and Kempton. The demonstration included eight jockeys, among them Champion jockey Oisin Murphy, and an inflatable white horse driven past the Houses of Parliament to draw attention to the issue.

Six-time Champion Trainer John Gosden told the rally the measure would be catastrophic for the sport and could return racing to the conditions of the 1970s. "When I first came to Newmarket in the 1970s, it was a grim time," he said, recalling strikes and economic disruption of that era. "It would be risky and presumptuous to think that the children of the owners who brought that change will carry on with the level of investment. But there can be certainty and stability in our industry if it is given the chance. I hope that this Government does not take us back to the 1970s."

Martin Cruddace, chief executive of Arena Racing Company, and Jim Mullen, chief executive of the Jockey Club, said there are no immediate plans to close racecourses despite their concerns. The two organisations together operate about 30 of the country's roughly 60 racecourses, organisers said.

Mullen presented figures intended to illustrate wider fiscal consequences, saying the proposed harmonisation of tax treatment with online casino and slots — taxed at 21% — would reduce racing’s revenues by an estimated £66 million and could jeopardise £300 million in wider tax receipts. "I would hope that those very, very clever and objective individuals within the Treasury will basically look at it and say what is the point if the impact over the medium term is to lose £300m," he said.

Organisers said the horse racing industry employs about 85,000 people across training, racing, breeding and associated services. They argued that a significant increase in taxation on bookmakers’ racing profits could reduce prize money, deter investment, and lead to job losses across the sector.

Campaigners described Thursday’s events as a step up in pressure on ministers and the Treasury to reconsider plans to harmonise taxation across gambling sectors. The voluntary blackout and postponement of fixtures were intended to demonstrate industry cohesion and the scale of potential disruption should the measure be enacted.

Government ministers and the Treasury have not announced a decision on the proposed change. Industry leaders urged officials to factor in both direct and indirect economic impacts, pointing to international investment trends that helped transform British racing from the 1980s onward.

Thursday’s rally followed a period of consultation and debate over the tax treatment of different forms of gambling. Organisers said they intended to continue lobbying parliamentarians and to engage with officials about the potential consequences for racing and the communities that depend on it.

The protest in Westminster represented one of the most visible industry actions to date, bringing together prominent figures from across the sport to press for reconsideration of the proposed tax increase.