"Illusory law. We will not cooperate": The mayors on the bill to collect a tax of NIS 3500 from dog and cat owners - voila! native

2022-12-27T08:50:22.751Z

The Torah Judaism bill seeks to promote a new tax of NIS 3500 for dog and cat owners in Israel. The heads of the authorities announce: we will not cooperate. The mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the city of dogs

A dog wagging its tail (Photo: ShutterStock)

Will the bill by Knesset members Moshe Gafni and Uri Makleb of Yehudah Torah calling for a new tax of NIS 3500 from dog and cat owners go into effect? We will know that in the next two months.

The bill calls on dog owners, the 'first residents of Israel', in the cities of Tel Aviv Jaffa, Rishon Lezion, and Haifa to pay a new tax, an environmental fee for keeping a dog and a cat. The cost of an annual license is 3500 NIS, families owning two dogs will have to pay 7000 NIS a year.

The mayors who were exposed to the first publication in Vala!

The defiant bill was met with outrage.

The mayors who are in an election year, will not rush to take part in collecting new taxes from the residents.

Ran Konik, Mayor of Givatayim

: I am strongly opposed to all kinds of laws that would impose more taxes on the residents.

There are thousands of families with dogs in Givatayim and we will not support illusory laws at the expense of the public"

Israel Gal, Mayor of Kiryat Ono

: "I'm shocked. I don't understand people who support this law. We will not cooperate with such a delusional law"

Zili the dog that was killed in an operation by the IDF and the Defense Ministry in Nablus, August 9, 2022 (Photo: Israel Police spokeswoman)

Rami Greenberg, Mayor of Petah Tikva

- "I do not believe in imposing a tax on the residents and vice versa - the municipality is working to lower the burden of payments and not add to it.

Haim Brodia, Mayor of Ra'anana

: The proposed law is completely contrary to the existence of the city and the municipal concept that considers education for compassion and concern for animals a supreme value In Ra'anana, animals are welcome and loved. The municipality of Ra'anana encourages the adoption of dogs as life companions. The municipality does not intend to charge any fee or tax for keeping dogs and we hope that the law will not be passed. On the contrary, we will continue to encourage the city's community to adopt animals.

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From the bill - the proposed law aims to impose an environmental fee on dog owners.

This environmental fee will reflect the great environmental damages and costs caused by dog breeding, which harm the delicate ecological balance around us.

This proposal is consistent with the fundamental principle of environmental law, the "polluter pays" principle.

Preserving the quality of the environment and dealing with the global climate crisis are at the heart of the public debate in Israel and around the world in recent years.

In recent times, a number of far-reaching moves have been promoted in order to reduce environmental pollution, which focused on the weaker sections of society in Israel.

At the head of these moves is the one-time tax on dishes, which severely affected disadvantaged populations and especially the ultra-orthodox society.

The current government's efforts have therefore focused on the weaker sections.

They did not touch almost at all the serious environmental damages caused as a result of the consumption habits and behavior of the layers of the population that are commonly referred to as "Israel the first".

This bill is intended to correct this injustice and to promote an equitable distribution between the strata of the population with regard to bearing the economic and social costs required for the preservation of the environment.

The starting point of the bill is that all layers of the population, even the established ones, must bear the environmental burden.

The powerful strata cannot put the burden of protecting the environment only on the weak strata and only demand that they change their habits.

"Israel the First" is also required to mobilize, to examine old habits, especially those that are considered luxuries, and to adapt them to the global environmental reality.

It is proposed to impose a unique environmental fee on each person who owns a dog.

The fee will be paid as an annual payment of NIS 3,500 for the first dog, and a double fee of NIS 7,000 for each additional dog.

In order to avoid collection difficulties and bureaucratic awkwardness, it is suggested that this fee be collected through the local authority, along with the annual license fees collected from dog owners...

Also, in order not to increase the tax burden on vulnerable populations, it is proposed to state that anyone who is entitled to an exemption or discount from property tax, will be exempt from paying the environmental fee.