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A proposal to introduce a tax on dog owners in Kazakhstan has been met with a cautious response from government officials. The initiative, put forward by Member of Parliament Magerram Magerramov, has prompted discussions on the feasibility and implications of such a levy.

Purpose and Feasibility of a Dog Tax

During a government briefing, Vice Ministers of National Economy and Finance were questioned about the potential introduction of a dog tax and how it could be implemented, especially given that a comprehensive system for registering domestic animals is not yet fully established in the country.

Azamat Amrin, Vice Minister of National Economy, stated that the proposal requires thorough discussion. He suggested that the primary goals of such a tax would be to improve the conditions for pet care and reduce the number of stray animals. However, Amrin expressed concern that a tax could inadvertently discourage people from owning dogs due to the added financial burden.

"This proposal exists, but introducing any new tax requires deep analysis. Firstly, this issue needs to be discussed. Secondly, the purpose of this tax is to create conditions for pet care, and in my opinion, to reduce stray dogs. But when a tax is introduced, it might, on the contrary, encourage people to give up their pets because they have to pay for them. There are many questions, let's discuss," Amrin commented.

Tax Policy and New Levies

Amrin also reminded attendees that the government's objective during the adoption of the new Tax Code was to reduce the number of taxes. "We reduced them by 30 percent, so adding a new tax, considering the policy we are pursuing, seems inappropriate," he added.

Yerzhan Birzhanov, Vice Minister of Finance, echoed similar sentiments, noting that implementing a new administrative mechanism for such a tax would be highly challenging. "All dogs need to be registered, and periodic inventories must be conducted. The main goal needs to be defined – what are we doing this for? Is it to increase revenue... We do not have a mandate to increase the tax base through our pets. And if we talk about encouraging more pet ownership, this would be a demotivating mechanism. Therefore, the advantages and disadvantages need to be considered. For now, the issue of supporting such an initiative is not being considered," Birzhanov stated.

Parliamentary Initiative

This discussion follows recent amendments passed by the Parliament concerning responsible animal treatment. It was during the discussion of these amendments that MP Magerram Magerramov inquired about Kazakhstan's readiness to introduce a tax on owned dogs, drawing a parallel with European countries.

This is reported by the Infohub.kz information agency.