Pet Tax Effective July 1: What They Say Online

The news that Russia is going to introduce a tax on the maintenance of pets has been circulating on the Internet for several years. It was said that a law was pending that would oblige owners to register each animal. We are talking about chipping, which is carried out at an additional cost. The resulting identifier code will consist of 15 digits, which contain all the data about the pet and its owner. In the absence of such, the export of a pet abroad will be impossible.

As for the financial side of the issue, dog owners will have to pay 80 rubles for their maintenance, 55 rubles for cats and decorative dogs, and only 27 rubles for a hamster, guinea pig, parrot and other similar animals. These funds will be charged every month. As explained in the Ministry of Natural Resources, the money raised will be used to equip areas for walking animals.

Some Russians took the discussion of this initiative positively, as payments could discipline people. It was assumed that they would become more responsible in deciding whether to have a pet. Shelter owners, in turn, hoped to reduce the number of cats and dogs thrown out into the streets.

However, another part of the population considered the collection of such payments to be a real absurdity, although abroad this practice has not been considered strange for a long time.

Here is what some Russians think about this initiative, posting comments on various Internet portals.

Peter, vbr.ru

As a dog breeder, it seems unfair to me to pay for all the animals that roam the street through no fault of mine. Yes, there are cases when pet dogs and cats are abandoned. But it seems to me that it is necessary to establish real owners and punish them, and not impose taxes on everyone.

Alexander, ampravda

I think that such a tax is unnecessary. And so we pay both for an apartment and for a car, and now they want to invent a new rip-off for the people. They say that the new tax will help rid the streets of stray animals, but I do not think that this is such a big problem for the Amur region. I love animals, so I am happy when I see a cat or a dog on the street. And dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets don’t annoy me either. We must treat everything philosophically. If you step into a bad-smelling pile, it’s money. 

Tatiana, biwork.ru

If we pay this tax and it goes to the cultural maintenance of dogs, then yes. And if it is, as we usually do – against. Will those people who take homeless dogs overpower this tax? If not, will they still disappear in shelters, wander around the city? It is necessary to do everything according to the mind: create areas for walking animals, special trash bins for cleaning behind them.

Nina, ampravda

Positively. Fewer animals will be owned by those who are not ready to care for them. People will have responsibility. And the money received can be spent on various good deeds. For example, helping animal shelters. It will be possible to collect homeless cats and dogs – you also have to pay for this work. Our region also needs dog walking grounds. I have a cat and a dog myself, I’m ready to pay tax for them. However, I hope that the amount will be adequate – 500 rubles a year.

Marina, Picabu

Tell us where you can walk the dogs? Where to put the bags, where do we put them after them? It takes a decent amount of money per month to adequately support an animal. I will definitely not pay a fee to anywhere. Enter whatever you want.

Julia, ampravda

I am totally against it. If such a tax is introduced, then people will begin to massively get rid of their animals, and there are so many of them on the streets of the region. Animal welfare societies can’t deal with stray cats and dogs. There are people who can even kill an animal that they don’t like. They told a case when a man brought a healthy cat to sleep, which in color did not match the new wallpaper. The only thing that will save from homeless animals is chipping, as well as large fines for those who throw animals out into the street.

However, the other day on the air of the TV channel “Russia 1” Vladimir Burmatov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology and Environmental Protection, spoke. He categorically stated that there would not be such a tax yet.

I would immediately like to stop all conversations on this topic, because in our country there is a special attitude towards animals. In our country, 83% of citizens consider their pets to be family members, and family members are not taxed, ”the deputy explained.