Association of British Orchestras

ABO calls for Orchestra Tax Relief to support UK international touring as Budget approaches

One month from the 2026 Autumn Budget, orchestras urge Government to act on the growing economic cost of reduced European touring.

Today (28 September 2026) the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) is calling on the UK Government to extend Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) to qualifying international touring expenditure, as the Chancellor addresses Labour Party Conference today, exactly one month ahead of the Autumn Budget.

International touring is a significant source of earned income for UK orchestras and supports employment for UK-based musicians and creative professionals. But rising travel, accommodation, transport, visa, customs and other costs have made European touring increasingly difficult to sustain.

New research commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) estimates that reduced EU touring associated with EU Exit resulted in £27.8 million in lost UK GVA and 440 FTE jobs across orchestras, theatre, dance and visual arts between 2022 and 2024. This is a targeted intervention that, based on ABO sector data, would cost the Exchequer substantially less than the wider, significant economic losses identified by DCMS.

Orchestras experienced the largest decline in international touring among the sectors examined. For orchestras specifically, DCMS estimates a £10.3 million loss in touring revenue, translating into an estimated £11.2 million loss in UK GVA and 180 FTE jobs.

Judith Webster, Chief Executive of the Association of British Orchestras, said:

“International touring is not simply about taking British orchestras abroad. It generates income, supports UK jobs and supply chains, develops talent and helps sustain artistic activity at home.

“The evidence now shows the economic cost of reduced European touring. Extending Orchestra Tax Relief to qualifying international touring expenditure would be a targeted intervention to help UK orchestras overcome some of the additional costs that have made valuable tours harder to deliver.

“The Chancellor has an opportunity to support an internationally successful part of the UK's creative economy. With the Budget just one month away, we are asking Government to make international touring a priority.”

The ABO is calling for targeted reforms to OTR, with international touring as its priority.

Related information


  • The DCMS research, The economic benefits of touring and impact of EU exit, was published on 27 August 2026. It estimates that the UK's exit from the EU was associated with a total loss of £208 million in GVA and 2,490 FTE jobs across all touring sectors covered by the research between 2022 and 2024. Within this, orchestras, theatre, dance and visual arts accounted for £27.8 million in GVA and 440 FTE jobs. The figures are modelled estimates and should not be interpreted as causal estimates.
  • OTR is already a relatively small component of the Government's cultural tax reliefs. In 2024/25, OTR accounted for £44.3 million, or 14%, of the £316.1 million provided through the three cultural reliefs covered by HMRC's latest evaluation.
  • HMRC's 2024/25 figures show £44.3 million in OTR, £233.5 million in Theatre Tax Relief and £38.3 million in Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief.
  • HMRC's evaluation found that OTR is supporting additional cultural activity: 77% of OTR claimants said the relief enabled them to take greater creative risks, 64% reported larger production budgets, 67% wider audiences and 37% additional performances.
  • UK orchestras reach more than 3 million people each year, support around 13,000 highly skilled jobs and work with more than 700,000 children and young people through learning and participation programmes.

Annual Conference

The next ABO conference will take place in Birmingham from 3-5 February 2027.

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