Government Criticises Idea of Dog Tax in Kazakhstan

The proposal to introduce a tax on pets, recently put forward by deputy Magerramov, has not been considered by the financial authorities, First Deputy Minister of National Economy Azamat Amrin said, Orda.kz reports.

According to Amrin, any such initiative would require serious analysis.

Any proposal, especially the introduction of a new tax, requires in-depth analysis. We need to understand the goals, the consequences and discuss all of this. There are actually many questions.he said. 

Amrin also said the idea itself raises doubts. If the goal is to reduce the number of stray dogs, such a tax could have the opposite effect, as people may simply decide not to keep animals if they have to pay for them.

He added that the state is currently moving in the opposite direction by reducing the overall tax burden.

On the contrary, we reduced the tax burden under the new Tax Code. The number of taxes, duties and fees was reduced by 30%. Therefore, adding a new tax in this case may be inappropriate. Amrin said. 

The Finance Ministry holds a similar position. According to Deputy Finance Minister Yerzhan Birzhanov, such a tax would be difficult to administer and its purpose remains unclear.

You need to understand how to administer it: register all dogs, carry out an inventory. And the main thing is why it is being done. We do not have the task of increasing budget revenues at the expense of pets. he said. 

He added that such a measure could scare people away rather than make them more responsible.

Original author: Alina Elgeldina

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