new exchange tax in ireland

I thought this was the rate BF paid anyway?

I guess that bf could live with something like the Irish measure, in that it isn't a turnover tax wh/ wd see them paying out more than their profits.

With taxes rising, the markets will slowly die. The only people playing will be insiders v. mugs. The horse racing markets, that is--which are currently populated by enthusiasts, the winning punters and their counterparties having mostly moved on to something else.

And the world as we all know it will end.
Think I've heard that refrain before.

FATH, only the horse racing part of it, I was implying.... How addicted are horse gamblers anyway? Bets struck on-track in England are down 28%; the professional money seeks likely winning opportunities elsewhere and the recreational money is squeezed b/c of the recession....

You could be right on that aspect.
But I'm not a HR bettor anyway, so I can't really judge if the writing is on the wall for it.

Be happy you ain't betting in Croatia. We have 5% tax on all stakes, not just on winnings...

Used to be like that in the UK, one of the few good things Brown did was ditch that and instead tax the profits BF etc make.

The only situations where horse racing is healthy is where there is a lot of broad public interest and the government, industry and professional punters share the recreational dollar between them (as in Hong Kong and to a lesser extent Australia).

Where the profile of the sport is declining (as in Britain), every faction squabbles w/ every other for its own share of the declining pie. What racing's establishment shd do is learn to tolerate bookmakers and winning punters and even cooperate with them in making the sport more attractive to casual gamblers.

Have to echo what inner city says on 1st reply. What is the irish exchange paying now ? BF pays 15% gross profits same as bookies. Any attempt to make a difficult rate will surely result in legal challenge.

* different