It all started with a column by François Lenglet, the economics columnist for TF1's 8 p.m. program: “What if we taxed dogs like it already exists in Germany? Across the Rhine, this tax brought in 420 million euros last year, a record amount according to Les Échos, and revenues have increased by 40% in ten years“.
It was enough for the news of “the imminent arrival in France of a tax on dog owners” to spread like wildfire on social networks, becoming the subject of multiple online debates. , on the sets of 24-hour news channels and the subject of numerous media editorials. This idea was even favored by a sequence in the show Touche pas à mon poste by Cyril Hanouna. Numerous online petitions have also emerged to protest against the potential implementation of such a tax in France.
The Ministry of the Economy is “absolutely not studying” the idea of a tax on dog owners
The idea quickly became rumor: “Discussions are underway to introduce a tax on dogs as part of the 2025 budget. This measure could aim to generate revenue for public finances“.
However, this is not the case, questioned on this question by our colleagues from the Check News service of Liberation, the office of the Minister of the Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin, formally denied the introduction of such a tax: “It is absolutely not studied”
Your opinion on the issue in Oise
The fact remains that the very idea of this tax has caused a lot of discussion, so on this occasion we have gave the floor to several personalities and inhabitants of Oiseso that they can in turn give their opinion on this idea.
During the writing of this article, we were unable to find any contradictory opinions, if you live in Oise and are in favor of the establishment of a tax for dog owners, do not hesitate do not contact our journalist: [email protected]
Nadège Lefebvre, president of the Oise department: “Be more severe with those who adopt an animal and then abandon it, like a simple stuffed animal”
“Honestly, I find this idea ridiculous. It seems like some people are constantly looking for new things to tax, whether it's animals or even electronic cigarettes. Rather than imposing additional taxes on those who love and take good care of their animals, it would be wiser to be tougher with those who adopt an animal and then abandon it, like a simple stuffed toy. This is what we should act against!”
Franck Pia, mayor of Beauvais, vice-president of the Oise departmental council: “The implementation of a tax could be synonymous with the obligation to separate from their animal”
“For my part, I am completely against the implementation of a tax for dog or cat owners – and, more broadly, a tax on domestic animals.
First of all, I am certain that this tax would be felt as a profound injustice, particularly for people on low incomes. It is very clear that for them, the implementation of a tax could be synonymous with the obligation to separate from their animal.
However, we must not forget, a pet is part of the family. It contributes, every day, to the happiness of its other members. And we don’t tax happiness!
In Beauvais, we are also well aware of the importance of pets in people's lives and we support pet owners in difficulty with certain costs via measures in our Solidarity Protection Plan.
Furthermore, taxing dogs or cats means exposing yourself to a very strong risk of causing an unprecedented wave of abandonments. However, we are well placed to know that abandonments are already far too numerous in France. Shelters are struggling to find new families for those they welcome. Increasing their numbers would be truly catastrophic.
Finally, in a more marginal way, we must not forget that dog owners contribute, indirectly, to economic dynamism with taxes on food and toys, but also veterinary care, dog training courses. , dog boarding, etc.
We must also keep in mind that such a decision would create the risk of seeing the explosion of illegal breeding, a parallel market, unidentified dogs, unvaccinated and without any veterinary monitoring in order to evade the tax.
Ultimately, this tax would do neither the animals nor the owners a service.
Guy Harle d'Ophove, president of the Oise hunting federation: “It would be better to tax stupidity”
“They would be better off taxing bullshit, it would go faster and it would bring them a lot more money, I find that completely incredible!
You should know that the dog owner is someone who contributes a lot to the economy by supporting many businesses, whether animal feed, veterinarians, accessories and others… There we would further weaken this sector to Nothing.
Hunting dogs have a public utility, they help to regulate wild animals, thus limiting destruction and thereby contributing to road safety. Without hunting dogs, there would be an explosion of damage and road accidents… and the community would have to take responsibility for this damage, which would cost much more than the revenue from this miserable tax.
We must also mention the social aspect, when you have people who find themselves alone in their lives, who already do not have many financial means and their only companion is their dog and their cat, they already have difficulty pay the veterinary costs and the kibble and you will also charge them a tax… We are among the raving madmen. It would be better to eliminate cheeses from the Republic and there are a mess of them. I find this idea scandalous, there are no other words.”
Marion Punzano, volunteer at the Essuillet shelter for 5 years: “This would cause a drop in the number of adoptions”
“I think this idea is bad and that it hides an interest other than animal welfare.
In my opinion, a responsible adopter does not need to pay an additional tax because there are already quite a few expenses, whether from the point of view of veterinary costs or food. What is likely to happen is quite simply that good adopters will pay the tax because they care about their animal, which can potentially add additional financial difficulty to them. While irresponsible adopters will continue to increase, because it will cost them more and they will therefore prefer to choose to abandon their animal.
Therefore, there is a risk of a drop in the number of adoptions (at least from a legal point of view because illegal breeding risks increasing) and an increase in the number of abandonments due to lack of interest from adopters. or due to lack of means.
In any case, depending on the amount of the tax, even people who are kind to animal welfare will think twice before adopting…
I also heard that in this tax idea, it would be higher for category 2 dogs, which in my opinion is ridiculous and which will further slow down the adoption of this type of dog in shelters, knowing that it is already complicated to find adopters because many are not motivated to undergo the compulsory training to obtain the second category dog aptitude certificate.
In short, other than for the government to find a way to recover money, I see no interest in it from an animal welfare point of view.”
Your opinion: Are you for or against taxing dog owners?
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