FRENCH TAX ON TOTE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30143, 29 May 1963, Page 5

FRENCH TAX ON TOTE

Increase Move Unpopular (Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, May 28. French racegoers, trainers and breeders are angry about a proposal of the National Assembly finance committee to raise the Government share of the totalisator by 6 per cent., says the “Daily Telegraph's” Paris correspondent. . The totalisator is the only legalised form of racecourse betting in France. The committee’s proposal is designed to enable the Government to reduce the tax on higher incomes by 5 per cent. It already takes 15J per cent, of the totalisator receipts on all horse races except the popular “tierce” (picking the first three in a race). In this it gets 22 per cent. “Last year, the Government’s share from the totalisator amounted to £2O million. Racecourses collected £l7 million. The proposed increase would bring the Government a further £l2'million if the bets of £l9O million in 1962 remain the same. But racecourses would not get a penny more.

“Because of the consequent reduction in the yield on winning bets, the racing fraternity believe that betting will decline. “They point out that French breeding brought in £700,000 through exports of thoroughbreds last year. Whereas, before the war, 22 per cent, of all thoroughbreds born in the world were produced in France, the figue has now fallen to 10 per cent.

‘ ‘Breeders are concerned by the higher race prizes now being offered in Britain. These, they say, will give British breeders and trainers an advantage. They claim large prizes may encourage the British to risk more money in breeding and training racehorses.”