Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji says that the government will not consider imposing a tax on pet-ownership during his term in office.
Chen said Monday that talk of a tax on pets is the result of a misunderstanding. According to Chen, the Council of Agriculture posted a proposal to tax pet-ownership on a government-run online forum. The forum allows the government to gauge public opinion towards proposed policies.
Chen said that the proposal followed recommendations from a 2014 town hall meeting on dealing with Taiwan’s stray dog problem. The proposal would have earmarked funds from a pet tax to care for stray animals.
The proposal attracted a significant amount of criticism from citizens, with more than 10,000 voicing opposition to the idea. Only 200 citizens, or around 2% of respondents, said they would support a tax on pets.
The agriculture minister said that the Council of Agriculture only posted the proposal on the online forum to get an idea of public sentiment towards the idea. He said that a tax on pet-ownership is not on any agenda and will not become a reality during his term in office.
The proposal to place a tax on pets comes several months after the legislature passed an amendment bill that will ban shelters from euthanizing stray animals beginning in 2017.