I have a part-time dog. It sounds strange but I will explain.
The dog in question is called Doris and she is a Bulgarian street dog. My husband is the owner but there are days when I look after her, like today. Yesterday, maintenance was carried out on his home’s ventilation system and Doris gets a lot of stress from strangers.
Currently, we are still living separately because the housing market is fucked up and his appartment is actually suitable for only one person. I have been living with my mother since my return from abroad and unfortunately the waiting list for a house is more than 10 years. In some places it’s even 30 years, really crazy.
At weekends, he and Doris stay with us and my mother looks after her when we go to the office on Mondays. Normally I bring them home on Monday evening but since we knew there was going to be work on Tuesday, Doris stayed here for a few more nights.
I like having Doris with me because I get much more exercise while walking with her. The area around my house is much more dog-friendly than where my husband lives downtown.
And now we come to the topic, dog tax. Where I live there are a lot of dog owners and therefore quite a lot of facilities for the dog. Special dog exercise areas, dog walking routes and a special dog poo cleaning service.
In the city centre, these facilities are more scarce, you have to bring dog waste bags or the BOA (special investigating officer) will fine you. I only saw these guys once in my neighbourhood and then I got a comment that I always need to bring bags because my dog could defecate at those 10 metres to the dog walking route and then I would have violated the APV (General Local Regulation). Real powerplay from these guys.
These facilities are paid from the dog tax and the rates are not low. My municipality has a dog discouragement policy where the dog tax gets higher and higher with the number of dogs you own.
For 2025, my husband had to pay EUR 106.44 for Doris (in 2024 it was EUR 102.12). A few years ago, my husband had a second dog, Jackie. If you have two dogs then you have to pay EUR 159.96 on the second dog so that works out to EUR 106.44 + EUR 159.96 = EUR 266.40 for owning two dogs. Each additional dog after that will cost you EUR 214.20 per dog.
So if you have 4 dogs then you pay EUR 694.80 in dog tax. What a lot of money.
But of course the owner pays with love for his faithful four-legged friend. Well, while working at the municipality, I did find out many times that people kept a dog illegally and they got fat fines when the inspectors came by.
Yes indeed, there is such a thing as a dog tax inspector and they always come unexpectedly. And sometimes the dog will betray his or her presence by barking when the doorbell rings. And if the dog is not registered with the municipality, you will be fined. They can let you off with a warning but you need to register the dog on the day you met the dog tax inspector.
And what is then very annoying is that the municipality next to your home municipality does not charge a dog tax. I have had conversations with people who find the tax unfair as a result but all the councillor then says is that you can also move.
Despite the tax, it doesn’t stop people from having one or more dogs. And that fills the council’s pockets, so much so that they have money left over with which to pay for other things like maintenance to parks or theatres. The dog has become the new cash cow.
But when I watch as I walk the dog and in the process see how beautifully the surroundings are maintained, it eases the pain that my fluffy friend is participating in the time-honoured certainty in life of paying taxes.
Of course Doris does not pay a penny, that bill is for the owner.
