GHMC to collect dog tax

By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: People with pet dogs will now have to begin paying dog tax every year to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, which is dogged by a financial crisis.
The tax is levied at the time of obtaining a dog licence and has to be paid annually. The corporation will begin implementing the rule on an estimated 1.5 lakh pet owners in Greater Hyderabad and expects to earn Rs 50 lakh, at Rs 30 per dog.
Owners of other pets can relax. There is no mention of any other pet in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act.
The owner will be given a licence in the form of a token for the dog. The licence should be tied around the neck of the dog. These dogs will not be picked up by the dog-catching squads.
Dog lovers are not against the dog tax, but want the money to be utilised for welfare of stray dogs. The AP Kennel Club honorary secretary, Mr R.K. Bakshi said: “The MCH used to collect dog tax several years ago. Even I used to pay it. But it was stopped. Now again they are insisting that dog owners pay tax.”
Only 1,050 dog licences were issued in 2008-2009 and dog tax was collected for as many dogs. The number of dog licences never crossed 1,500 in a year.
The GHMC chief veterinary officer, Dr P. Venkateshwar Reddy, said the civic body has decided to enforce dog tax rule strictly. “Every person who owns or is in charge of a dog should pay a tax of Rs 30 per annum.”
According to Dr Reddy, the corporation is in the process of asking all veterinary clinics not to treat any dog unless the owner produces a licence.
The corporation has also begun issuing service notices on owners of vacant plots or land to pay tax. The vacant land tax is in addition to the property tax.
A senior official said: “Owners of vacant land will face tax at the rate of 0.50 per cent of the total land capital value.” The vacant (open) land tax is being levied as per Section 212 of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act of 1955.