It was a historic day for U.K. horse racing on Wednesday, as race courses all over the country fell silent in support of the ‘Axe The Racing Tax’ campaign.
Key Takeaways
- ‘Axe The Racing Tax’ seeks to cancel a planned tax rise on U.K. horse racing
- Under current plans, taxes on the sport could be hiked to 21%, in line with online casinos
- Jockeys, trainers and owners headed to Westminster on Wednesday in protest
British horse racing ground to a halt on Wednesday, as jockeys, owners and trainers headed to Westminster to protest a planned tax rise on the sport.
Famous faces including jockeys Hollie Doyle, Tom Marquand and Oisin Murphy were among protesters at the Houses of Parliament. They were joined by the likes of Paul O'Brien, Saffie Osborne, Kieran Shoemark, Lilly Pinchin and Richard Johnson, all of whom wore silks emblazoned with the ‘Axe the Racing Tax’ campaign slogan.
Jockeys at Westminster for today's 'Axe the Racing Tax' campaign.#AxeTheRacingTax pic.twitter.com/bkC11Ot6Au
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) September 10, 2025
Campaigners later headed to an official event at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, where they lobbied politicians not to back the changes.
In solidarity, the Racing Post published a blank front page yesterday. Alerting its readers to the action being undertaken, it said “racing, already reeling from the impact of bungled regulatory measures, now faces a tax grab that could cripple the sport.” The paper is encouraging readers to back the campaign by contacting their own MPs.
For the first time, @RacingPost will publish an all-black #FrontPage (on 10 September 2025) to support the ongoing Horse Racing Strike in #Britain.
— Andy Gibson (@AndyGibsonTV) September 9, 2025
FULL STORY: https://t.co/h8sv5durCm#HorseRacing #HorseRacingStrike #RacingStrike #RacingPost#TomorrowsPapersToday#IBPAPERS pic.twitter.com/Jip6pyRB4G
Sport strikes in response to planned tax hikes
The first strike in the history of horse racing was planned in response to talk of upping duties in the near future.
The U.K. Government is considering raising betting duties on horse racing to at least 21%, the same rate as that of online casino products such as slot machines. Currently, the sport is taxed at 15%, but 10% of gross profits are also paid into the statutory levy, which funds things like prize money, research, education and animal welfare.
It’s all part of a strategy to align remote gambling taxes, so that online products are taxed at the same rate. But the horse racing industry is vehemently against such a change, with Lord Allen, Chair of the British Horseracing Authority labelling it “an existential threat” for the sport.
Trainer John Gosden argues that the sport is not comparable to the online casino products the Government plans to tax it with. “Our costs of production are absolutely frightening. When you compare it to the cost of production of online gambling, I think you’re looking at two completely different ball games. I don’t think the government understands our industry,” Gosden said.
Analysis commissioned by the BHA has estimated the potential cost of the tax rises at £330m, in terms of revenue loss. Its calculations suggest 2,752 jobs could be put at risk in the first year if the changes go ahead.
CEO of Arena Racing Company Martin Cruddace warned that the sport wouldn’t survive such a tax hike. “Wednesday is to focus the mind of the Government on the disaster it will create if it chooses to go ahead,” Cruddace said.
Brant Dunshea, CEO of the British Horseracing Authority, feels the Government should treat horse racing differently to online casinos “because of the socio-economic benefits that it brings to the nation,” namely, “85,000 largely rural-based jobs, moments that bring the nation together, a cherished part of our culture.”
Industry experts have also argued that any tax hike on the sport would only encourage bettors to seek alternatives and could in fact lead to a rise in unregulated black market betting on racing, along with a subsequent drop in tax revenue.
Will the Government U-Turn on Horse Racing Tax Rise?
Wednesday’s strike certainly helped to draw attention to an issue that has caused real concern across the industry, but whether it will have had the desired impact in terms of protecting the sport from tax increases remains to be seen.
Pressure will continue to mount on politicians in the coming weeks, but we’ll have to wait until the Autumn Budget at the end of November to find out what the Government has decided.
In the meantime, we can expect ‘Axe the Racing Tax’ campaigners to continue to make their voices heard.
