British Monday Racing Hit By Bookmaker Strike Britain`s three race meetings on Monday were hit hard by the on-course bookmakers refusal to price up the first race on each card in protest at a new tax they must pay from April 1. No starting prices were returned at Exeter, Kempton and Wolverhampton in what was a dramatic escalation of the industrial action started at Lingfield on Saturday and amid warnings of further strikes - with a solution to the crisis appearing a long way off. Both the BHB and Levy Board claimed the issue was 'out of our hands' as an emergency action plan was put in place by the SP Executive to allow the return of 'industry SPs' - a move that only served to heighten fears of the death of the traditional starting price. The unprecedented on-course action has come in protest at a BHB charge for providing raceday data, which mirrors that of a deal for off-course bookmakers. In practice, the charge has worked out at as a ten per cent gross profits tax, agreed through the Levy Board`s Bookmakers` Committee. At Kempton, the busiest of Monday`s three meetings, a `starting price` was able to be returned under emergency arrangements issued by the SP Executive in response to the 'exceptional circumstances'. As it happened, William Hill, Coral and Ladbrokes did bet on the opener at Kempton, shown live on Channel 4, enabling the winner Beyond Control to be returned at 10-1. However, feelings among other bookmakers ran high at a new tax that it is feared will force them to trim their odds they offer to punters, in order to increase their profits margins. Tony Styles, president of the Southern Bookmakers` Protection Association, explained the strike was made to highlight the financial implications of the new tax. Styles, trading as Bob Stock, said: 'It was a spontaneous decision. We all had a chat and thought that this would be the best way to bring it to racing`s attention, especially as this race was televised.
