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Pet tax hike leaves owners confused, angry
Pet owners and breeders in the capital are confused and angry over the civic authority's proposal to drastically hike taxes on pets indeed most have not been paying anything for years.
Pet owners and breeders in the capital are confused and angry over the civic authority's proposal to drastically hike taxes on pets -- indeed most have not been paying anything for years.
"What tax?" asked Moses Peter, a well-known figure in Delhi's pet owners' circle.
"I have never heard of any tax on pets. I have had pets for as long as I can remember. The only thing I know of is that our dogs need to carry a token on their collar certifying they are not stray."
Peter has six dogs - of different breeds - a parrot and an aquarium.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has reportedly proposed to hike the rates under the animals tax - from Rs.5 to an unprecedented Rs.500 per pet per year. Someone like Peter would have to shell out a couple of thousands every year.
When informed about the tax he said: "Paying Rs.500 per pet is ridiculous. I do not think this is going to work out purely because of practical constraints."
Though it is not clear how the authorities would monitor the entire tax procedure, reports said the proposal is lying with the urban development department of the Delhi government.
The MCD apparently had not been collecting these taxes as the collection procedure was expensive and the tax itself was nominal.
"I know we had to pay Rs.5, but we have never had to actually shell it out. At least not in the past 20 years. You really think they are going to run after us to check out our pets?" asked Lekh Raj, a government employee who has 20 dogs at home.
"I think it is thoroughly impractical. Anyway, I will think about it when they ask me for the tax. As of now I am sure it is not going to work out," Raj said.
The MCD, it seems, has it all planned. The authorities have a database of around 8,000 pet owners to start with. This database is based on tokens issued every year after checking pets for infectious diseases.
"Our men will collect more data though residents welfare associations and door to door enquiries," said Dinesh Sharma, veterinary officer, rabies control programme, MCD. "It will take time, but we have to do it."
But the confusion does not end there. Many pet owners, like Peter, double up as breeders.
"It often happens that I have more animals at home than the actual number of my pets. Who decides the pets' ownership then?" asked Peter who has travelled abroad several times looking for good breeds.
"And finally what has the government done for our pets that it wants to collect a tax on them?" he asked.
The civic authorities have their reasons. Dogs, cats and other pet animals are taken to roads and streets for relieving themselves and these public spaces have to be maintained.
"How many pet owners have separate toilet facilities for their dogs and cats? Most dog owners use the roads and open fields for this purpose. So should they not pay taxes?" T.P. Rajvanshi, director, veterinary services, MCD, told IANS.
"Moreover, Rs.500 should be no problem for people who own exotic breeds worth millions per specimen," he added.
An MCD spokesman had another reason: "The taxes are meant to act as a tool of regulating the use and movement of animals.
"The Rs.500 figure is an upper limit. The rate will surely vary. And moreover the focus will be more on beasts of burden like bulls and donkeys.
"Pets will be monitored for their health and to check the spread of infectious disease. In any case, it will be at least more than a year before the proposal becomes a law to be implemented."
