The state legislature has introduced a bill that would impose a “pet tax” on every animal other than livestock in the state.
The bill, HB24-1163, sponsored by Democrat Regina English, would require all pet owners to register their animals in a state-run system, with fees that critics call exorbitant and unnecessary.
Draconian measures disguised as social welfare
The pet registration system proposed under the Pet Registration Act provides for annual pet registration, with a sliding scale of fees that appears to penalize those without the means to pay.
At $8.50 per pet with a designated caregiver, $16 for non-neutered or spayed pets with a caregiver, and a hefty $25 for pets without a caregiver, the financial burden can be significant for families with multiple pets, not to mention breeders and sellers who may face the tax on each animal over six months old In their care.
This fee structure applies to a wide range of animals, from dogs and cats to reptiles, amphibians, fish and even invertebrates, leaving no pet owner untouched.
Consider the financial burden on a family with a variety of pets: 100 aquarium fish can cost an owner up to $2,500 a year without designated caregivers, according to US Ark.
A zoo of 20 diverse pets, including a dog, cat, hamster and several reptiles and fish, could see annual taxes ranging from $170 to $500. Even a children's ant farm is not exempt from this sweeping legislation, which could put significant financial pressure on something as simple as maintaining an ant farm, the outlet added.
The Department of Agriculture is charged with creating and maintaining an “online pet registration system,” with strict penalties for non-compliance, including fines of up to $100 per unregistered animal. This could mean that an unaware pet owner with unregistered aquarium fish could face fines of up to $10,000.
The goal of the bill is to connect pets to their owners or designated caregivers during emergencies, and while that goal may seem laudable, the method — the tax — has been met with skepticism.
The state's encroachment on private life through this registration system has pet owners wondering about the real motives behind the bill. The additional financial burden may discourage potential pet owners from adopting animals in need, which may create greater pressure on animal shelters.
With a hearing scheduled for February 22 at the state Capitol, opponents of the bill are preparing for a battle. They argue that this bill is a veiled attempt to raise revenue and not a real effort to improve animal welfare.
By imposing this “pet tax,” Colorado is setting the precedent that animal companionship is a luxury afforded only to those who are willing to pay the costs of government monitoring of their furry friends.
Read the invoice summary:
The bill requires the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture (Commissioner) to develop, implement, and maintain an online pet registration system (system).
The bill establishes a Department of Agriculture Pet Registration Corporation (Corporation) to provide business services to pet owners who pay pet registration fees to the Corporation by developing, implementing, maintaining, and managing a pet registration system and connecting pets with their owners and designated caregivers when and after emergencies occur, And protect pets by supporting animal shelters that are caregivers of last resort.
The pet owner must register the pet in the system annually for a fee determined by the organization, which must not exceed $8.50 per year per pet with a designated caregiver, and $16 per year per dog or cat pet that is not neutered or spayed and has a designated caregiver , and $25 per year per pet without a designated caregiver. The fees set by the Foundation are in addition to any pet registration or licensing fees assessed by any other jurisdiction. The organization will collect both state and local fees and forward any fees charged by another jurisdiction to that jurisdiction and fees charged by the state to the newly created pet registration cash fund. The state fee will be used to develop, implement, maintain and administer the system and to reimburse animal shelters for the cost of caring for a pet whose caregiver cannot be located or refuses to take custody.
The bill also requires a pet owner to designate a caregiver for the owner's pet. The caregiver is responsible for the care and maintenance of the pet during an emergency that incapacitates the pet owner. First responders will use the system to identify the pet's designated caregiver and notify the caregiver of the pet owner's incapacity. The caregiver must agree to be responsible for the pet. If the caregiver later refuses to take care of the pet or cannot be located, the first responder will place the pet in an animal shelter. Only first responders and the Department of Public Health and Environment are permitted to use the system.
The draft law stipulates that owning a pet without registering the pet; Refusal or failure to comply with the provisions of the bill; Committing a fundamental error in the registration application or registration renewal application or to the Department of Agriculture; or refusal or failure to comply with any rules or regulations adopted by the Commissioner is unlawful. The unlawful act shall be punished by a civil penalty in an amount determined by the commissioner but not to exceed $100 per unlawful act. If the commissioner is unable to recover the civil penalty, the commissioner may file suit to recover the civil penalty or deny registration renewal.
