Horse racing bodies urge Ireland to shield sport from EU gambling tax
The EMHF and the European Trotting Union have written to Irish ministers asking that racing betting be excluded from any EU-wide gambling levy being weighed as part of the bloc's 2028-2034 budget talks.
The European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF) and the European Trotting Union (UET) have written to senior Irish ministers urging that horse racing betting be kept out of discussions on a possible EU-wide online gambling tax, SBC News reported.
The approach targets Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State for European Affairs, and Simon Harris TD, Minister for Finance, given Ireland's current Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The letters argue that horse racing wagering should not be caught up in any new levy being considered as part of plans to boost the Union's budget for the 2028-2034 period.
The idea of an EU-wide gambling tax was first floated in February by Victor Negrescu, Vice President of the European Parliament, who suggested it could raise between "€2bn-€4bn per year" in additional funding, according to SBC News.
The proposal drew immediate pushback from the wider gambling industry, which already contends with heavy taxation in individual member states.
Maarten Haijer, former Secretary General of the European Betting and Gaming Association, warned at the time that "imposing an EU tax on top of existing national taxes would only make this situation worse: expanding the black market, harming European consumer protection and ultimately leading to lower tax revenues for Member States."
The Polish gambling sector has also examined the plan, concluding it would add financial pressure on operators and risk undermining fair competition within the market, SBC News noted.
Negrescu's office has told SBC News that all financing options remain under consideration, leaving the proposal live despite the criticism.
The EMHF and UET have now echoed concerns raised elsewhere, pointing to possible damage to government revenues, the stability of licensed betting markets, and knock-on harm to racing itself.
SBC News highlighted the United Kingdom as a case in point, where a recent rise in duty on remote gambling operators prompted several brands to scale back activity, including sponsorship of horse racing.
Britain's racing sector has not escaped pressure entirely, but the British Horseracing Authority's #AxeTheRacingTax campaign succeeded a year ago in securing an exemption from tax increases, keeping general betting duty on the sport at 15%.
Dr Peter Truzla, President of the UET, argued that legal betting underpins the wider racing economy, saying: "Legal betting is what funds horseracing, and with it breeders, trainers, racecourses and rural jobs."
He added that "an additional tax would push more business towards illegal operators, reducing revenue for governments and racing alike and leaving consumers with less protection."
With Negrescu's office keeping every funding option open, the racing sector's lobbying push looks set to continue alongside the broader industry campaign against an EU-wide gambling levy.