IT’S intriguing to hear that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) are trying to mobilise all British racing stakeholders, including punters, to support their campaign to “Axe The Racing Tax”, providing those who wish to do so with an online portal which enables them to lobby their MPs. Those who don’t want to see gambling on horse racing to be subject to a significant rise in tax rate (from the current 15% to an eye-watering 21%, in line with casino operators) would be well-advised to join the protest, although it may not come easy for those punters who feel that the sport tends to treat bettors as little more than a nuisance at the best of times, making this appeal feel like a temporary volte-face. “Yes, you need me now”, some of us may think. “But you’d still think twice about shaking my hand for fear you’ll catch something.”

It’s no surprise that many punters feel this way, but stricter taxation is bad news for the sport, bookmakers and punters alike. It makes sense to put aside the differences to maintain the status quo on gambling taxation, with the BHA’s number-crunchers calculating that a new tax regime will impact significantly on racing’s income, with a suggested loss of £66m should the higher rate be applied to racing and other sports.