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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
British horse racing set for unprecedented strike over betting tax changes
British racing will stage an unprecedented one-day strike on 10 September in protest at a proposed rise in taxes on horserace betting. The four scheduled fixtures at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton will not take place after agreements between the owners of the courses and the British Horseracing Authority, making it the first time the sport has voluntarily refused to race in modern history. The BHA set up the 'Axe the Racing Tax' campaign in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15 per cent duty on racing could be increased to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance. Brant Dunshea, chief executive at the British Horseracing Authority, said: "We have decided to take the unprecedented decision to cancel our planned racing fixtures on September 10 to highlight to Government the serious consequences of the Treasury's tax proposals which threaten the very future of our sport. "British racing is already in a precarious financial position and research has shown that a tax rise on racing could be catastrophic for the sport and the thousands of jobs that rely on it in towns and communities across the country. "This is the first time that British racing has chosen not to race due to Government proposals. We haven't taken this decision lightly but in doing so we are urging the Government to rethink this tax proposal to protect the future of our sport which is a cherished part of Britain's heritage and culture. "Our message to Government is clear: axe the racing tax and back British racing." The four tracks involved are operated by the Jockey Club and the Arena Racing Company, with both backing the move. Jim Mullen, CEO at the Jockey Club, said: "We hope this pause for reflection will enable the Government to truly understand the economic impact of horseracing and its cultural significance to communities across the UK, as well as the world-class racing festivals we host. "After this period of reflection, we hope the full implications will be understood, and we can prevent the irreparable damage that threatens a sport the nation is, and should be, proud of." Martin Cruddace, CEO at ARC, added: "We have always been taxed and regulated differently, and it is imperative for our future that we continue to be so. "If the Government wants Britain to be a world leader in online casino and a world pauper in a sport at the heart of its culture, then tax harmonisation will achieve that aim." While the four meetings will be rescheduled, Paul Johnson, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, underlined the "sacrifice" in calling a halt to the sport for a day. He said: "Cancelling fixtures is a huge sacrifice by racing and should serve as a stark reminder to the Government of the impact its tax raid will have on our sport. "Thousands of jobs are at stake alongside the loss of millions of pounds to the British economy." A Treasury spokesperson said: "We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online 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."
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
I'm trying to persuade my granny to leave Ukraine
Ever since the Kakhovka dam was destroyed and the waters swallowed her town, we've begged her to come to safety. Her street is two kilometres long, but every house on it was washed away – except hers. That one surviving house became her fortress, her proof that God was watching over her. 'If my house survived the flood,' she said, 'then nothing will touch me.' We argued. We pleaded. We promised. And finally, she agreed – not to leave for good, but to meet us in neutral territory: Georgia. She locked the door of her house and left behind a town that was half-drowned and half-destroyed – a ghost of the place it once was – to meet us in Georgia. READ MORE: David Pratt: 'Art of the deal' fails again as Donald Trump is outflanked The logistics were a nightmare. We grumble about delayed trains or cancelled services – but in the occupied territories, there are no trains. No buses. No timetables. Nothing. The danger begins the moment you step outside. Locals call it the infamous 'human safari'. It starts long before you reach Kherson city – on already-occupied land – where Russian troops train their operators by dropping grenades on civilians before they're sent to bomb Kherson itself. For my 81-year-old granny, just leaving her house meant stepping into that danger. She had to walk two kilometres through deserted, hostile streets to find any kind of transport. And even then, there was no schedule. Buses appear and vanish depending on the frontline, roaming like ghosts across the landscape. The bus takes you to the southernmost point of the Kherson region, where you can catch a proper bus with a more stable timetable to Crimea. For my granny, the bus to Crimea became an unexpected lecture on the 'Russia-Europe war', as two 21-year-old Russian soldiers called it. In their story, the war would end with nuclear strikes, the collapse of Western civilisation, and the Russian Federation ruling over the European continent. By the time she told me this, my granny's hands were still trembling with irritation. 'Bohdan,' she said, 'I wanted so badly to tell them how stupid they were, even to talk like that.' But she stayed silent. Her journey to Georgia had only just begun, and her patience was her only protection. From Crimea to Tbilisi, across Russian territory through Krasnodar, we managed to arrange the next stage of my granny's journey. My mum and I couldn't buy bus tickets ourselves – British cards don't work in occupied Crimea or in Russia – so we relied on a chain of acquaintances. Someone knew someone who could buy the tickets on the official website. But then, our details were leaked. Somehow, a third party – Armenians in Russia, judging by the phone numbers – took over the trip. They were the ones actually driving my granny from Crimea, across Russian territory, and on towards Georgia. READ MORE: Police Scotland 'breaching human rights to subdue Palestine protests', activists say They quickly realised my granny couldn't use her phone, so they found us on WhatsApp. They noticed our British numbers, and that's when the manipulation began. Every message was another demand for money. By the time she reached Tbilisi safely, we had paid three times the original fare – but at least, she was out. The whole way took about three sleepless nights for all of us. In Tbilisi, we all cried – me, my mum, and my granny. The last time I had seen her was on her birthday, December 19, 2021. She looked tired, though she would never admit it. Over those four days, she told us everything: the daily fear, the cruelty, the quiet atrocities that had become life under Russian occupation. In between those heavy stories, we walked the Georgian streets, ate khachapuri and churchkhela, and talked about my childhood, and my mum's. Granny asked me to print out the pictures from our time together in Georgia. But I didn't dare include the ones with Ukrainian, EU, or Nato flags – Tbilisi is full of them. We knew that when she went home, her belongings would be searched. A single patriotic photo could put her in danger. SHE hadn't brought much with her, but she carried the one thing we asked for: old family photos. Neither my mum nor I had any digital pictures from our childhood. Our hometown may be gone, half-flooded and half-destroyed, but these memories – the faces, the smiles – they survived. During those four days, we tried not to speak of the one thought that sat heavy in our hearts. We were afraid this might be the last time. The last time I'd see the woman who raised me, who cared for me, who taught me what love felt like. I am still afraid to think about it.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Racing calls one-day strike over proposed betting tax rise
The four scheduled fixtures at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton will not take place after agreements between the owners of the courses and the British Horseracing Authority, making it the first time the sport has voluntarily refused to race in modern history. The BHA set up the 'Axe the Racing Tax' campaign in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15 per cent duty on racing could be increased to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance. Lingfield will not stage racing on September 10 (John Walton/PA) Brant Dunshea, chief executive at the British Horseracing Authority, said: 'We have decided to take the unprecedented decision to cancel our planned racing fixtures on September 10 to highlight to Government the serious consequences of the Treasury's tax proposals which threaten the very future of our sport. 'British racing is already in a precarious financial position and research has shown that a tax rise on racing could be catastrophic for the sport and the thousands of jobs that rely on it in towns and communities across the country. 'This is the first time that British racing has chosen not to race due to Government proposals. We haven't taken this decision lightly but in doing so we are urging the Government to rethink this tax proposal to protect the future of our sport which is a cherished part of Britain's heritage and culture. 'Our message to Government is clear: axe the racing tax and back British racing.' The four tracks involved are operated by the Jockey Club and the Arena Racing Company, with both backing the move. Carlisle racecourse is also involved in the strike (Tim Goode/PA) Jim Mullen, CEO at the Jockey Club, said: 'We hope this pause for reflection will enable the Government to truly understand the economic impact of horseracing and its cultural significance to communities across the UK, as well as the world-class racing festivals we host. 'After this period of reflection, we hope the full implications will be understood, and we can prevent the irreparable damage that threatens a sport the nation is, and should be, proud of.' Martin Cruddace, CEO at ARC, added: 'We have always been taxed and regulated differently, and it is imperative for our future that we continue to be so. 'If the Government wants Britain to be a world leader in online casino and a world pauper in a sport at the heart of its culture, then tax harmonisation will achieve that aim.' While the four meetings will be rescheduled, Paul Johnson, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, underlined the 'sacrifice' in calling a halt to the sport for a day. He said: 'Cancelling fixtures is a huge sacrifice by racing and should serve as a stark reminder to the Government of the impact its tax raid will have on our sport. 'Thousands of jobs are at stake alongside the loss of millions of pounds to the British economy.'
