The town of Masculucia in Sicily, Italy has recently decided to offer tax breaks to residents who adopt dogs.
Does this mean that the town government of Masculucia is made up entirely of dog lovers? Maybe . But it turns out that dog love is good for the town budget, as long as dog lovers are adopting.
Masculucia spends roughly $170,000 each year on animal welfare, and they’ve realized that it would just be cheaper to incentive dog adoption through tax breaks than to spend the money on sheltering.
Over-breeding has led to too many strays across the world, including Italy. Attempts have been made by the Italian government in the past to authorize tax breaks for dog adoption, and the council of Masculucia is fully behind the effort with a unanimous vote in support of the proposal.
The tax break is good for three years following the adoption, making the break no empty gesture. Dog adopters will receive a 50% reduction in the rate of their refuse tax during that three year period.
But it’s not all brass tacks according to council member Alessio Cardi, who said that dog adoption has another great incentive: “To give a safe place to a little dog which, in all likelihood, will be able to shrug off the burden of a difficult past.”
Highpaws, Councilor. High paws indeed.
