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ANYWAY – BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST…

So today I thought to continue our tax discussion from last week and touch on a subject that honestly annoys me here in Germany – the dog tax.

You read that right. They tax your dog.

Why? Let’s look at a little bit of history, shall we?

A long, long time ago (yet not in a galaxy far, far away) – whenever someone wanted to go hunting, they usually needed a dog to do so. When I say a long time ago – I mean the 1500s. Since these folks were hunting on the “King’s” land, there needed to be a way to control the hunters by keeping the dog population down.

Most countries in Europe not only had this tax, but also got rid of the law by the time the 70s rolled around because it was considered so outdated. Yet Germany clings to this ridiculous tax. Why? It’s literally free money for the city. In 2017, Berlin dog-owners paid over 11 million euros in ‘dog-taxes’.

Talk about theft, eh?

The funny thing is this: most Germans don’t actually know what the tax is for. T had thought it was for all the poop bags you see when you walk in a park….except we have none in our town and yet we still have to dish out 84 euros a year for Abner (and 168 for a second dog if we wanted one and so on).  My mother-in-law assumed it was a luxury tax….and yet horse-owners don’t pay one. I have been around horses enough growing up to know they are more of a luxury animal than dogs. Even cat owners don’t have to pay the tax (meaning you are more likely to find Germans with several cats than a person with several dogs).

Honestly, folks. There is no reason for the tax that has anything to do with dogs. Period. End of Line

This is a dream I cannot afford in Germany – owning a grumble of pugs. 😦

Anyway, even though it’s a useless tax, the Germans are hell-bent on not only paying the tax, but making sure their neighbors pay it, too. There is a hotline you can call when you want to report your neighbor not paying their dog taxes.

But hey, at least we have socialized healthcare, eh?

Anyway, until the law changes – I’ll keep paying the damned tax.

Bis nächste Woche!