In view of the steadily increasing income from the dog tax, the German Animal Welfare Federation is renewing its call for more support for animal shelters. Nationwide, municipal revenue from the dog tax broke through the 400 million euro barrier for the first time in 2021. According to recent media reports, in North Rhine-Westphalia alone, receipts reached a new record of 104.6 million euros in the first nine months of 2022.
“While animal shelters are collapsing under the growing cost burden, many local authorities are reporting record income from dog tax. Anger is growing among animal welfare charities at the political ignorance of many local authorities. The situation of animal shelters is explosive, additional help is needed - primarily from the municipalities, but also from the federal states and the federal government,” comments Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. “If half of the municipal revenue from the dog tax were to flow into a one-off pot for animal shelters and the federal government were to contribute the same amount, the animal shelters would be greatly helped.”
Taxes are not earmarked for a specific purpose and flow into the general municipal budget. “This means that dog owners also finance the renovation of offices or mayors' company cars with their tax", says Schröder. Meanwhile, animal shelters often have to hear from local authorities that there is not enough money. As a result, they even have to provide their own funding for the tasks they undertake on behalf of the public, such as looking after found animals. “In view of the record income from dog tax, it is no longer acceptable for animal shelters to virtually subsidize local authorities from donations. The current behavior of many mayors, who are getting rid of the mandatory task of animal welfare as cheaply as possible, is no longer acceptable.”
MUNICIPALITIES BENEFIT FROM THE PET BOOM
In the view of the German Animal Welfare Federation, cities and municipalities are the secret winners of the corona-related pet boom of the past two years, during which many people have acquired new dogs and other animals - often spontaneously and without much thought. Meanwhile, charitable animal welfare organizations still have to shoulder the consequences of often misunderstood love of animals: More and more animals and more and more dogs were and are being taken in and cared for in animal shelters with increased care requirements. What's more, dog owners who relieve the burden on animal shelters by adopting their animals instead of buying them are also asked to pay. Only a few local authorities waive or reduce the dog tax for dogs from animal shelters.
