“We march to remind politicians not to undermine our industry” – day of action for French racing drivers in light of tax threat

Leaders of a march through Paris in defense of horse racing and trotting have warned that a potentially devastating rise in betting tax could be reintroduced by the French government at any moment.

Thousands of professionals from the two countries will gather in the capital on Thursday to protest against the threat of tax rises, which are estimated to cost the industry between 20 and 50 million euros.

While ministers have talked about potentially excluding betting on horse racing and throttling to protect the ability of Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) and other operators to support the sport, the government is making no guarantees that the plan to increase online fees by 8.1 percent, and Also, road and street rates by 0.6 percent will not be part of the updated proposal.