Posted on by Californiacontrarian

If It Breathes, Tax It !

I read something in the paper the other day, and I thought that this would be another new way for the California Democratic Legislature to yet add another tax. This tax is presently alive and well in Germany, and it collects a lot of money every year. Last year this tax collected €11million in Berlin alone! At the present exchange rate, this equates to about $12.5 million per year for just one city that had a population of 3.7 million in 2018. Keep in mind that the Los Angeles population is approximately 4 million, which is similar to that of Berlin, and in addition, San Francisco has a population of about 900,000. Just think how much in additional tax could be collected in all of California with an estimated 2019 population of 40 million. If there are any Democrats reading this, I know that they are envisioning how much additional revenue could be raised. 

In Germany dogs need to be licensed and are subject to a ‘Hundesteuer’, meaning ‘dog tax’. Most European countries scrapped the dog tax in the 20th century but not Germany. In Germany, dog owners have to pay a “dog tax” and receive a tag confirming that they paid the license. This ranges from 24 to 100 euros per year depending on the breed of dog and on the location in Germany. In addition, dog owners pay a lot more dog tax per animal if they have multiple dogs. There are circumstances in which you are exempt from paying the dog tax, for example, if your dog is a service dog. Good news for adoptive pet owners too: if your dog is a rescue dog, you are exempt from paying dog tax for the first year. While cats do need to be licensed, they are not subject to any kind of tax.

Pet owners, be ready, because I think that once the Democratic legislators in California get wind of this tax, they will not be able to restrain themselves. I can almost hear them now. “If we can tax dogs, why not tax cats? In fact, why not tax birds, gerbils, and even ferrets?” Think of the additional millions of dollars in tax revenue that the California Democratic Legislature could put into the state’s coffers . . .  so that they could then spend it frivolously.

Some words of wisdom to my Democrat friends: “Slow down your breathing and do not get too excited!” 

Some words of wisdom to the rest of us Californians: “Shhh, don’t spread the word to them.” 

Some final words of wisdom for the dog down the street: “Auf Wiedersehen, Rover!”

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