Why is there no horse racing in Britain on Wednesday? Sport goes on strike in powerful warning over tax to Rachel Reeves

THERE will be no horse racing in Britain on Wednesday – as the sport goes on strike and sends a powerful warning to Rachel Reeves.

Fixtures at Lingfield, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton have been cancelled.

PA:Press AssociationJockeys will hang up their whips on Wednesday when all racing in Britain is cancelled as the sport goes on strike as a response to the proposed tax rises[/caption]

And the sport’s leaders will instead head to Westminster to heap pressure on the Labour government as part of the ‘Axe the Racing Tax’ campaign.

The unprecedented step to abandon every single meeting for one day comes in response to, yep, you guessed it, the threat of yet more tax rises.

Chancellor Reeves is considering raising the rate paid on horse racing bets.

Currently, racing bets are taxed at 15 per cent.

But the government could raise it to 21 per cent in line with online gaming and slots in a bid to ‘harmonise’ the two.

Those in racing have made clear their stance, saying such a move would be catastrophic to a sport woven into the very fabric of British life.

Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot… even your nan having a quid on the Grand National would never be the same.

It would trickle down to every level of racing.

Meetings at Brighton, Thirsk, Redcar and Hexham, fixtures at YOUR local track, from Grade 1s to Class 6 handicaps, would be irrevocably damaged too.

Already there are huge fears about the rise of the untaxed black market, where punters have absolutely zero promise of actually getting paid even if they win.

In truth that’s too late. It’s already here. It’s already undermining honest punters who play by the rules.

And we haven’t even mentioned the impact on those who commit their life to racing.

The jockeys, the trainers, the owners, but, perhaps more than anyone else, the yard staff.

The British Horseracing Authority predicts a £330million loss in revenue to racing over the next five years if the rate of tax is raised.

More than 2,700 people would lose their jobs in the first year alone.

Sun Racing columnist Matt Chapman has written about the awful impact the tax rises would have – and what new BHA boss Lord Allen needs to rectify right now.

While Tory MP for West Suffolk Nick Timothy has spelled out in stark detail how Reeves will make YOU pay for her failure.

Racing as a whole is hoping, through their strike, to make government reconsider their plan.

Let’s hope it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.

When will the rearranged fixtures take place?

Lingfield moves to September 8 (afternoon).

Carlisle moves to September 9 (evening).

Uttoxeter moves to September 11 (evening).

Kempton moves to September 15 (evening).