The municipality of Eindhoven has started to do door-to-door checks to supplement the ‘file for the levy of dog tax’.
Not everyone who has a dog in the municipality, pays dog tax, according to the municipality. It is, however, mandatory. For one dog 82 euros per year must be paid in 2022, for two dogs 164 euros.
The tax revenue goes to the pot of “general resources” of the municipality, as also happens with, for example, parking tax. “From the general resources all kinds of things are paid. Also the construction of dog walking areas in the various districts”, says the municipality on its website.
The door-to-door inspection is not carried out by the municipality itself, but by an external agency: Legitiem B.V. People who carry out the inspections must be able to identify themselves as ‘Inspector Dog Tax’, according to the municipality.
Abolition
For some time now the levy of dog tax has been criticized nationally. Per municipality the amounts that dog owners have to pay to differ significantly. In one municipality only a few tens per dog have to be paid, in other municipalities, this can be more than a hundred euros per dog.
Another point of criticism is that the tax revenues are not used for the construction of dog parks or cleaning up dog waste, but disappear into the ‘general resources’ of the municipality.
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta who also gives online INBURGERING classes.
