British Horseracing to hold historic strike with no meetings on Wednesday in tax protest against Government
Four scheduled race meetings on September 10, at Lingfield Park, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton Park will not take place; this is first time sport has voluntarily refused to race in modern history; British Horseracing Authority protests Government's proposed tax rise on horserace betting
Tuesday 9 September 2025 10:57, UK
No race meetings will take place in Britain on Wednesday as the British Horseracing Authority as the sport protests the Government's proposed tax rise on horserace betting.
This will be the first time that the sport has voluntarily refused to race in its modern history.
The announcement comes as British Racing's 'Axe the Racing Tax' campaign gears up in advance of the Autumn Budget.
The campaign is urging the Government to axe the Treasury's proposal to bring existing online betting duties into one single rate tax band.
Four scheduled race meetings on September 10 at Lingfield Park, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton Park will no longer take place that day and will be rescheduled.
On the same day, the sport will host a major campaign event in Westminster where senior leaders will be joined by owners, trainers and jockeys to highlight the threat of the Treasury's proposal on an industry which is worth £4.1 billion to the UK economy.
Economic analysis commissioned by the BHA has shown that aligning the current 15 per cent tax rate paid by bookmakers on racing with that of online games of chance - currently taxed at 21 per cent - could have a destructive impact on the sport, with a £330 million revenue hit to the industry in the first five years and putting 2,752 jobs at
This is because betting operators are likely to seek to offset any tax rises through increasing prices, cutting bonuses, reducing advertising and marketing budgets.
With the exception of meetings being called off due to adverse weather, equine virus outbreak and national crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, this will be the first time in history that the sport has taken a collective decision not to race in protest at a Government proposal.
