Colorado proposal to tax all pets

[Jakemedic]

I read this ridiculous, unjustified tax has been “postponed” due to public outcry. To the good people of Colorado, keep up the heat!

 

[Chicken poppy]

https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024A/bills/2024a_1163_01.pdf

Yearly $8.50 - $25 fee per pet in addition to any other licensing or registration fees. There is a fine up to $100 per incidence for noncompliance or partial compliance

To take effect July 1, 2024

Definitions include

"PET ANIMAL" MEANS A DOG, CAT, RABBIT, GUINEA PIG, HAMSTER, MOUSE, RAT, GERBIL, FERRET, BIRD, FISH, REPTILE, AMPHIBIAN, INVERTEBRATE, OR ANY OTHER SPECIES OF WILD OR DOMESTIC OR HYBRID ANIMAL SIX MONTHS OF AGE OR OLDER, THAT IS SOLD, TRANSFERRED, OR RETAINED FOR THE PURPOSE OF BEING KEPT AS A HOUSEHOLD PET. "PET ANIMAL" DOES NOT INCLUDE LIVESTOCK, AS DEFINED IN SUBSECTION (9) OF THIS SECTION.

Oh. Technically it isn't a "tax" because that would be inconsistent with Colorado Supreme Court rulings. It is a "fee" because it is "..,imposed for the specific purpose of [defraying] the costs of providing the services that benefit fee payers as specified in this article 82..."

The "services" are "...developing, implementing, maintaining, and administering the pet animal registration system, connecting pet animals with their owners and designated caregivers when and after emergencies occur, and protecting pet animals by supporting animal shelters that are caretakers of last resort..."

Hm, that kind of makes a little sense for some kinds of pets - isn't that part of what dog and cat licenses do, though?

I have trouble seeing the sense of it for fish, invertebrates, gerbils, and any species of wild animal.

I lived in Colorado for a really long time, was thinking about maybe moving back at some point, this is absolutely ridiculous. Hope it doesn’t pass

 

[Electric Chickens]

Who introduced this? It sounds like something that an animal liberation group would try to pass.

 

[Hatch in chicks]

Thats crazy!

 

[ShotgunDog]

Wow. What 'problem' is this supposed to solve? All that would do would create more problems: I can see people not neutering or vaccinating their pets in order to keep from paying the government more unnecessary taxes. Sounds like a comeback of rabies and an epidemic of unwanted/dumped litters of cats and dogs to me! Keep up the good fight, citizens of Colorado!

 

[RojoMarz]

Yes, thankfully, the bill has been pulled by the Author. Not only was there a proposed fee, but we would have been required to designate a secondary caregiver.

Denver 7 new

USArk Colorado Pet Tax

 

[saysfaa]

Yes, thankfully, the bill has been pulled by the Author. Not only was there a proposed fee, but we would have been required to designate a secondary caregiver.

Denver 7 new

USArk Colorado Pet Tax

Postponed. She plans to do it later if she can.

"starts with just simply pulling this bill and reworking this piece of legislation, and hopefully bring something back that's more thoughtful and meaningful."

I believe her that she didn't mean it as an attack on pet ownership (said later in the news article). I think she just didn't consider unintended consequences.

Wow. What 'problem' is this supposed to solve? All that would do would create more problems: I can see people not neutering or vaccinating their pets in order to keep from paying the government more unnecessary taxes. Sounds like a comeback of rabies and an epidemic of unwanted/dumped litters of cats and dogs to me! Keep up the good fight, citizens of Colorado!

I admit I didn't try to find out what problem she saw. I took "emergencies" to mean natural disasters. The problem she sees is first responders have difficulties with what to do with the pets of elderly people or other people when those people have individual emergencies. Since animal shelters are overcrowded.

I can believe she had good intentions. I've also been involved with a few such situations (what to do with grandma's pets long term, what to do with pets when their people deployed overseas for a year or three, finding pet sitters for a week or weekend, etc). I don't think designating a caregiver would go as smoothly as she thinks it would. Or that it will ease the overcrowding of animal shelters any more than building bigger animal shelters has eased it.

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

Hopefully this nutso proposal won't pass. I don't even live in Colorado and I'm upset

Same.
I will never move to Colorado, and I hope a lot people move out of there. Enough to cause a dent in their economy.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Same.
I will never move to Colorado, and I hope a lot people move out of there. Enough to cause a dent in their economy.

I’m hoping more that this tax doesn’t pass, not that everyone moves out. Colorado is a really great place, it’d be sad to see that happen

 

[BonnieBlue]

Hopefully it doesn't get reintroduced and passed, because too many pieces of legislation get expanded down the road.