Rethink the Horse Tax Campaign
As you may be aware the UK horseracing industry is calling on all horse owners and breeders across the country to join together and urge the Government to think again about imposing an unfair “tax in all but name” on the sector. Please follow this link to read the horse industry joint coalition letter on cost sharing which was published on 21.10.09 on The Times website – Times Online
It is vital that as many people as possible sign the petition and write to their MPs. These links show more coverage from BBC Breakfast
and The Daily Mail
British Racing and Breeding Takes Action Online as Rethink the Horse Tax Campaign Website and e-Petition to the Prime Minister Go Live
The “Rethink the Horse Tax” campaign, launched by a coalition of organizations representing a broad cross section of the UK horse industry, is calling on riders, breeders and veterinarians to make their voices heard by visiting a new campaign website – www.RethinktheHorseTax.org
– and take action by writing to their constituency MPs and by signing an online petition to the Prime Minister.
Campaigners are concerned that plans to create a new agency responsible for managing outbreaks of animal disease will place mounting costs on horse owners – in the form of a new annual charge for each animal – at a time when Government support is needed to help boost rural economies and encourage wider participation in outdoor sport.
The industry has raised concerns that the plans would place an unfair and arbitrary financial burden on the horseracing industry, which contributes £300m in annual taxation revenue to Government coffers. And with a yearly spend of 750,000 on disease prevention and management to cover 17,000 horses in training, industry bodies believe the sector is already paying more than its fair share. Under the plans, horse owners would be charged alongside keepers of livestock farm animals such as sheep and pigs – despite the fact that racing and breeding receives no agricultural subsidy comparable to the estimated £1 billion per year handed to the livestock industry through payments such as Regional Development Grants.
Veterinary surgeons have also made it clear that plans to create a new agency responsible for animal health could needlessly complicate the process of managing outbreaks of animal disease animal health, putting at risk the clear single line of command essential in the event of a major disease outbreak. A lack of clarity over the roles of the four Chief Veterinary Officers in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the proposals has also been highlighted as a major concern by the campaign.
And with costs of £14.3m to set up and millions more to maintain the new body in the coming years, the industry has made it clear that the proposals do not represent value for money for either racehorse owners and breeders or the taxpayer.
The Rethink the Horse Tax petition to the Prime Minister urges the Government to work with all sections of the equine community – including racehorse owners, thoroughbred breeders and equine veterinarians – to find an alternative solution to managing animal disease which does not hit owners with increased costs and extra bureaucracy.
Louise Kemble, Chief Executive of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, said:
“This campaign is an opportunity for breeders to have their voices heard at the heart of Government on this extremely important issue. We need to send a clear message to Government that creating more bureaucracy and imposing new charges is simply not the right way forward. The industry is already fighting the recession and another charge on British breeders takes us further away from the level playing field that we need in order to compete with other European industries.”