Pet tax in Russia in 2019

The content of the article

• Legal regulation
• Act on the Responsible Handling of Animals
• Dog and Cat Tax Bill
• Animal chipping
• registration
• Opinions for and against

Russian society was excited by the news about the tax allegedly introduced in 2019. Not understanding what it is about, citizens are discussing the need to pay for their four-legged pets. There is a tax on animals in many foreign countries, but whether it will appear in the Russian Federation, and when the government will consider this issue, is unknown.

Legal regulation

Talk about the tax on dogs and cats that appeared is not accidental. Rumors have arisen due to the law No. 498-FZ “On Responsible Handling of Animals” adopted on December 27, 18. It punishes the cruelty of keeping pets, prohibits the shooting of homeless animals.

The document spells out the conditions for the creation of zoo shelters and the responsibilities of their employees. Separate items are devoted to the home content of the four-legged companions. Innovations have affected nurseries for breeding: they are required to obtain a license. At the same time, requirements for organizing shows with animals, standards for veterinary clinics and bird markets, and rules for working with stray dogs and cats came into force. Service dogs mentioned: their fate determined upon retirement.

Tax is not mentioned in this normative act..

Act on the Responsible Handling of Animals

The 2018 Law for the first time calls animals creatures capable of experiencing physical and emotional suffering, and prohibits their torture. In addition to the rules of detention, the document spells out the procedure for voluntary registration of pets and its purpose. From the moment the decision is published, the owners are obligated to walk the dogs on specially designated sites, and to lead them out into the street in a muzzle and on a leash.

Killing animals, except for terminally ill or aggression, is prohibited.

Dog and Cat Tax Bill

In 2019, the Russian government instructed the initiative group to draft a new tax bill. An example was the foreign countries where citizens have long paid for their pets. Today the document is under consideration in the State Duma.

The money received is planned to be spent on the construction of nurseries, the organization of territories for walking, the capture of stray individuals..

The innovation should concern only pets. It is assumed that the amount of tax will depend on the type, breed and size of the four-legged friend. For example, for a dog, the owner will have to give from 1,200 to 15,000 every year, for a cat – up to 5,000, for a hamster – 120, for a chinchilla – 800 rubles. The exact amount of fees, control procedures and sanctions are not defined.

Animal chipping

Legislators propose introducing animals on tax records simultaneously with mass chipping. Now this procedure is voluntarily used, for example, by breeders to track offspring. A microchip with an individual 15-digit number is implanted in a puppy or kitten under the skin, and the chick is put on the paw in the form of a ring. The code with data about a particular individual and its owner is entered into a common database.

The Animal Chipping Act does not force labeling, but only draws attention to the benefits.

If the chipped cat is lost or the dog harmed another person, it’s easy to calculate the owner by number. Marking is carried out in veterinary clinics for a fee. The service costs at least 700 rubles.

registration

In Russia, owners of cats, dogs or ferrets are not required to register their pets. In the new project, there is no such requirement either. Registration is mandatory only for owners of potentially dangerous pets. The authors of the idea emphasize that the registration of pets will be free, you only have to fork out for a veterinary passport and a chip. You don’t have to worry about farmers and villagers raising livestock: we are not talking about it. Only animal companions are supposed to be rewritten:

• dogs
• cats
• companion horses;
• mini pigs;
• small rodents (ferrets, rabbits);
• poultry;
• aquarium fish.

Opinions for and against

The public reaction to the bill is mixed. Optimists believe that taxation will force citizens to deliberately purchase pets, increase responsibility for their maintenance. Commentators note that the annual fee will positively affect the country’s economy. Skeptics talk about its shortcomings, predicting an increase in the number of homeless individuals. They do not believe that citizens will massively pay for pets. Owners themselves speak negatively about the prospect of additional spending.