https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/colorado-democrat-introduces-pet-tax-all-animals-its/
feb 3 2024 The state legislature has introduced a bill that could see a ‘pet tax’ imposed on every non-livestock animal in the state.
The bill, HB24-1163, sponsored by Democrat Regina English, requires all pet owners to register their animals in a state-run system, with fees that critics are calling exorbitant and unnecessary.
The proposed Pet Animal Registration System under the ‘Pet Animal Registration Act’ stipulates annual registration for pets, with a sliding scale of fees that seems to punish those without the means to pay.
At $8.50 for pets with a designated caregiver, $16 for unneutered or unspayed pets with a caregiver, and a hefty $25 for pets without a caregiver, the financial burden could be significant for multi-pet households, not to mention breeders and sellers who may face the tax for each animal over six months old in their care.
This fee structure applies to a broad spectrum of animals, ranging from dogs and cats to reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even invertebrates, leaving no pet owner untouched.
Consider the financial burden on a family with a diverse array of pets: 100 aquarium fish could cost the owner up to $2,500 annually without designated caregivers, according to US Ark.
A menagerie of 20 assorted pets, including a dog, cat, hamster, and several reptiles and fish, could see annual taxes ranging from $170 to $500. Even a child’s ant farm is not exempt from this sweeping legislation, potentially introducing a significant financial strain for something as simple as keeping an ant farm, the outlet added.
