Coalition government scraps ‘horse tax’ plans

The equestrian community has welcomed the coalition government’s formal decision to scrap Labour’s unpopular “horse tax”.

The announcement came in response to a Number 10 online petition against the tax. It was initiated by a horse owner concerned at Defra’s plans to introduce a new independent body for animal health, costing millions and funded by a levy on livestock owners.

The petition, set up last year, closed in December and on 30 July the government stated: “The proposals will not be taken forward.”

Read more about this decision, including what alternative disease management systems may need to be put in place, in today’s Horse & Hound (5 August, 2010)

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