The government's tax change proposal is yet another hit to racing

Three weeks ago, the culture secretary Lucy Frazer wrote a column for this newspaper in which she reassured racing that the government's policy on affordability checks would not be allowed to jeopardise the sport. "British racing is a prized sporting institution, watched and enjoyed by millions around the world," she wrote. "The prime minister and I are determined to keep it that way."

Since then, as the petition against checks launched earlier this month closes in on the 100,000 signatures landmark, there have been glimmers of hope that a more sensible approach on affordability is in sight. The government, although still wedded to its white paper policy, is insistent the checks will only be implemented when they are truly 'frictionless'. More importantly, at least in the short-term, it also appears to be actively seeking an interim solution that would resolve the inconsistent, invasive checks that are already causing such frustration to punters and damage to racing's finances.

Yet with Wednesday's autumn statement, the government fired another shell in the sport's direction, introducing a review of online gambling tax policy to consider replacing the current three-rate system with a single tax rate. Given the government is seeking to bolster its coffers to fund pre-election tax giveaways, that seems likely to result in the rate on horseracing and pool betting rising from 15 per cent to align with the 21 per cent applied to gaming.

The repercussions of this are plain to see. Most obviously, it will make it more difficult for firms to make a profit betting on British racing. There will be few tears in racing for bookies' bottom lines, but the knock-on ramifications are what matter.

The logical commercial consequences of higher taxation will be higher margins on racing, fewer bonuses and offers, less money for sponsorship, less incentive to promote racing to customers and greater reluctance to come to a deal on the levy.

A single-rate policy would also fail to acknowledge the fundamental difference between running a market on racing, a game of skill that entails at least some risk, and running an online casino, with guaranteed profit margins for operators.

With racing already reeling from the impact of affordability checks, a change to taxation policy would be another blow from a government that claims to be determined to protect the sport, but whose actions appear to suggest the opposite.

Punters and the racing industry are being called on to sign a petition calling on the government to stop the implementation of affordability checks. You can sign the petition here.

Read these next:

Potential online gambling tax hike 'threatens to blow up funding of racing' 

Autumn statement raises prospect of increase in duties on remote gambling with consultation set to launch 

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