Hi All

I just did a search for "Dod Tax" and "Pet Tax" and could not find any threads on the subject.

We've just been sent a 100.- bill for "Dog Tax" by our Geminde. I'm assuming this is an annual thing. I was not aware that this existed. We moved here from UK with our 2 year old Springer Spaniel last October. Can anyone please tell me if:

1) It is an annual tax or a one-off payment for registering the dog in Switzerland?

2) Is this tax applied accross all Cantons or is it Canton/Geminde specific?

3) What is the money (in theroy) used for? What is the purpose for the tax?

I would be grateful for any answers from those in the know.

Thanks

Gully and Holly the Dog!

1) Annual
2) Canton specific, in Aargau applies to all communes
3) Money goes to the commune, which can use it fund stuff like Robidog bins, etc.

http://gesetzessammlungen.ag.ch/frontend/versions/603

Dogs are taxed every year, everywhere.

The best search for EF: http://www.englishforum.ch/search.php

See the related threads below. If you're paying 100 francs per annum for Fido1, Fido2 is likely 200 francs....!! You may or may not get a tag depending on Kanton.

Swiss village: pay your dog tax or Fido gets it

Has your 2009 dog tax increased significantly?

Where do I pay dog tax in Zurich?

The purpose of the tax is revenue generation.

Here in the outer Heart Of Darkness, it's also used as a deterent against crazy folks like yours truly who think that living with more than one dog is a good idea. (In my little Dorf, each additional dog is charged at a multiplier. )

At least we get nice shiny Robidogs with convenient poo bag dispensers, and those Robidogs are emptied regularly...


(FYI, dog owners in Reconvilier can breathe a tad easier now... Apparently the Berner Regierungsrat is repealing the 'Pay up or we kill Fido' law.)

http://www.20min.ch/news/bern/story/27666717

They also check that vaccinations are up to date and that each dog has a microchip (so they can find the owner if it gets lost, is involved in an accident, or attacks somebody, etc). And yes it is a deterrent for those who take a dog on a whim- then abandons it when bored with it or its bad behaviour becomes a pain.
Our dog was found in the Valais, in the middle of nowhere about 10 years ago before microchips were a legal requirement. The owner had just driven her there and kicked her out of the car. By the time our friends took her in, she had no pads left on her paws and she was starving. *****ds.

When you moved here you should have registered your dog with the municipality as it compulsory for your dog to be registered and issued a dog tag to put on his collar.
As you arrived late in 2010, they would have given you a break on the price (50% discount is what I negotiate for clients) as the dog tags are issued usually in April, not January.

It is an annual fee. I figure it covers the cost of supplying dog owners with Robidog bags and the emptying of the robidog containers.

No tag issued but, yes, an annual tax in our Gemeinde for the dog.
(An aside: Dog tax on top of the dogma being charged a 'fire' tax but not the dogpa because he's over a certain age but he's the one who plays with the fireplace in our flat.)

Meloncollie, I fear to imagine your total dog tax bill. In your case, it does not work as a deterrent at all against giving a forever home to multiple pooches.

I wish they had a dog tax in France...

We have a stealth dog

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