They’re imposing some tar-ruffs.
Red rover red rover, please don’t come over: Authorities in Bolzano, Italy, have made animal rights activists barking mad after proposing a tax on tourist dogs — but supporters claim that this canine tariff is long over-doo.
Per the bill, owners would be charged a €1.50 ($1.75) per day to bring their pups to the quaint city, which is a gateway to the Dolomite mountains, the Guardian reported.
The mulled measure, which would go into effect in 2026, would also require locals to fork over 100 Euros ($117.04) annually, resurrecting a canine tax that was repealed in 2008, the New York Times reported.
Should the policy be greenlit, part of the proceeds would go to cleaning up the dog poop-riddled streets, which is a “serious problem,” according to Provincial Councilor Luis Walcher, who introduced the measure.
They’d also go toward funding new parks exclusively for owners and their pooches.
The pet tourist tax follows another controversial canine decree requiring dogs to undergo DNA tests to identify the source of fido’s feces. However, Walcher has said that owners who are already registered for the aforementioned DNA testing will be exempt from the pet tax for two years.
He felt that the Scooby-duty was fair because it concerns dog owners exclusively. “Otherwise, sidewalk cleaning would be the responsibility of the entire community, when it must be said that the only filth on our city streets is dog waste,” Walcher declared.
Fed-up Redditors agreed with the proposal, citing the fact that streets around the world have become a veritable manure minefield due to a global dog-coddling epidemic.
“People with dogs have gotten way too entitled and think that they can take them anywhere they please and not clean up after them or be responsible in any way,” vented one. “Most cemeteries around me have banned dogs because their owners just refuse to clean up after them and expect the grounds crew to do it or something.”
They added, “Most state and national parks have rules about what trails dogs can go on and they have to be on a leash, but owners just ignore signs.”
Another wrote, “In 100 years, people will hear in disbelief how nowadays it’s perfectly common to see dogs s–ting and p–ing in the streets and people having to bear it.”
“I see nothing wrong, sidewalk cleaning for pedestrians needs funding,” declared another critic, comparing it to landlord pet fees as well as annual vaccinations and registration fees. “I don’t see how $2 a day is a bad price to pay for a limited number of tourists bringing in dogs. If 100 tourists bring 100 dogs for a day that’s $200 paid to a worker for the cleaning labor, which sounds fair.”
New York City itself is being plagued by a mounting dog doody problem, particularly in Washington Heights, which is the most feces-infested neighborhood. As of July, the area has produced 10% of the more than 1,600 poop complaints filed since the start of the year.
However, other parties weren’t so enthused about shelling out an extra fee for their fur babies in Bolzano.
“This tax is pure madness and contrasts with what happens in the rest of Italy, where no taxes are paid on pet ownership,” said reps for animal rights group Aidaa. “If the law passes, we will plan civil disobedience actions to immediately boycott it.”
Even Bolzano Mayor Claudio Corrarati, spoke out against the measure. “We would be dogs to impose a tax on dogs,” he said while speaking on RTL radio. He added that no such tax would go into effect in his town and urged dog owners to “come to Bolzano with your animals!”
This comes as Italy has rolled out some questionable pet-friendly policies of late. Over the summer, Italian air officials caused uproar among the public over a “ridiculous” new policy that allows medium and large-sized canines to fly with their owners.
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