Victorian pet owners are set to pay more, with the Allan Labor Government doubling its pet tax on all dogs and cats from $4.51 to $9 per animal starting July next year.
The tax, applied through local councils via pet registration fees, will funnel millions into the state revenue office.
Councils will be forced to collect the levy and pass it directly to the State.
The Nationals’ Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, slammed the move as another example of Labor using councils as its personal tax collectors.
“This pet tax hike follows the Emergency Services Tax and highlights Labor’s relentless appetite for revenue collection.
“While $4.50 might sound small, with 2.2 million registered pets in Victoria this will deliver Labor an easy $10 million windfall each and every year.
“With state debt climbing by $2 million an hour, Labor is raiding the wallets of everyday families instead of fixing its own waste and mismanagement.
“Victorians are already struggling with cost-of-living pressures – making family pets more expensive is a mean spirited tax grab.
“After a decade of waste and mismanagement Labor is generating additional revenue any way it can – that includes taxing pet dogs and cats.
“The Allan Government should focus on reining in its financial mismanagement and waste and easing cost of living pressures and not taxing our beloved pets.”
