Zamora, a city in the northwest of Spain, has decided to impose a tax on dog owners that will take effect next year, after it was tired of financing the costs of collecting dog litter from the streets of the city where the number of dogs exceeded the number of children.
"Dog owners have to contribute a certain amount to the city's expenses," said Zamora city tax advisor Diego Bernardo, acknowledging that not all people are happy with the 9-year-old tax, even if it is simple. "This tax provoked a strong reaction from the citizens. Some do not agree with it at all, while others have adapted themselves to this situation and some have accepted it, not all reactions are negative."
The city council is expected to raise between 50,000 and 90,000 euros ($ 55,200 to $ 99,360) a year from the tax, which will be used to create more dog walk areas, fund dog waste disposal, and distribute bags for this purpose. A few cities around the world charge a similar tax, the highest being in The Hague, where a tax of € 120 per dog is imposed, increasing with each additional dog per house.