French racing to be boycotted on Thursday as protests against government plan that could threaten industry erupt

French racing professionals will channel their inner revolutionaries on Thursday when taking to the streets of Paris to protest against betting tax measures they say will cost the sport tens of millions of euros in lost revenue.

Racing will also be boycotted for the day as government plans to raise taxes on betting and casino gambling first emerged more than a week ago as part of measures to plug a hole in the social security budget, and estimates as to how much it could cost the racing and trotting authorities range from €20 million to €50m.

The industry already contributes €951m in tax and the two authorities warned the sport should not be exploited as a tool to balance the government finances.

The 'stop the tax' campaign, which has been organised by a number of associations and unions representing owners, trainers and breeders, shelved initial plans for a strike when the government withdrew its first version of the law early last week, but the pressure has since ratcheted back up as it became clear some form of tax rise was still on the political agenda.

The new government of prime minister Michel Barnier had the latest version of its project defeated in the National Assembly on Monday, a measure which would have hiked online betting tax on racing from 7.9 per cent to 15 per cent, and imposed a 0.6 per cent rise on PMU turnover on track and its off-course premises. 

But the industry was warned to be on its guard against the reintroduction of the plan. In a joint statement, France Galop president Guillaume de Saint-Seine and his counterpart at Le Trot, Jean-Pierre Barjon, expressed their fear the worst outcome had not necessarily been avoided, despite the lack of a majority in parliament for the proposal.

France Galop president Guillaume de Saint-Seine: warned rise in betting tax could be reintroduced by the government at any time. Credit: France Galop

They said: "Along with our respective administrative councils, we are fully mobilised and united in solidarity with the movement set in motion by professional bodies from across racing and trotting. Although the government amendment proposing an increase on taxation for betting on horseracing was defeated on Monday, it is vital that we keep the pressure up on both the government and elected officials."

Saint-Seine and Barjon added: "The risk remains that these measures could be presented again in the Senate, or at any moment during the process of adopting the budget, and horseracing must not be used as a mere variable in the regulation of government finances. 

"It is of huge importance that, through a strong show at Thursday's demonstration, we make the entire political class understand that we will never give up when it is the livelihood of our employees which is at stake. We invite every member of the industry to join us at Place Denfert-Rocherau on November 7 alongside the professional associations in the defence of horseracing." 

Campaigners have designated Thursday as a day to save racing and trotting and have called on trainers to boycott meetings and instead attend a rally in Paris.

Racing professionals demonstrating in 2017 against the introduction of live in-shop sports betting

On Monday both the trotting authority SETF (Le Trot) and France Galop held emergency board meetings and chose to cancel all fixtures on Thursday.

The budget minister Laurent Saint-Martin – a member of President Macron's Renaissance Party – said in both media interviews over the weekend and on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday, that he wishes to spare the racing and trotting industries any undue financial pain.

During Monday's debate, Saint-Martin spoke of betting on racing being subjected to only a symbolic rise in tax, adding that his idea was "to tax the more dynamic and addictive forms of betting such as sport," adding that he would like a carve-out in the legislation "to protect the PMU and the racing industry".

In March 2017 racing and other equine sectors marched through Paris to the gates of the Budget Ministry to protest against the lottery provider FDJ's plans to allow live in-play betting on a range of sports in its thousands of high-street premises, a project which was subsequently shelved.

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