Drivers in London, New York and other major cities are used to being charged for bringing cars into the city. Now one municipality may demand payment to bring dogs into town.
A bill in Bolzano, Italy, would mean that dogs bringing their owners to the Tyrolean Alps for some scenery and mountain air would face a new charge of roughly 1.50 euros ($1.75) per day, the Italian news media reported.
Local dogs won’t escape under the bill, which would come into force in 2026 if it is approved by the provincial council. Residents would be charged an estimated 100 euros per dog, per year, bringing back a dog tax that was abolished in 2008.
These taxes would replace a policy in Bolzano that requires DNA testing for all dogs. The testing requirement, used to identify dogs that left waste behind, as well as those that were struck by cars or that attacked people or other dogs, had been in effect for two years. It had proved difficult to implement, with only about 12,000 of 30,000 dog owners complying, in part because of the $50-plus cost of the DNA test. Naples started a similar program in the 2010s.
The cumbersome DNA requirements are unlikely to be mourned. “I’m pleased that the provincial government has finally chosen the path of common sense and decided to end the DNA registry,” one councilor, Thomas Widmann, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Those who did get DNA tests for their dogs would be exempt from the new tax for two years.
Dog waste on the streets in Bolzano, which is in the province of South Tyrol and near the Austrian border, is “a serious problem,” Luis Walcher, a councilor who introduced the measure, told the Italian news agency ANSA.
Dog owners are required to pick up waste or face fines of €200 to €600 (about $235 to $704), and those fines may increase as part of the new plan.
Officials say that the money raised from the dog taxes will go to street cleaning and building dog parks, which the city is mostly lacking.
Not everyone is happy about the plan, and that includes the mayor.
Perhaps bidding for the doggy vote, Mayor Claudio Corrarati, speaking on RTL radio, said, “We would be dogs to impose a tax on dogs.” Asked if such a tax were likely to go into effect, he said: “In Bolzano, not. For sure. Come to Bolzano with your animals!”
To solve the dirty sidewalk problem, he suggested using neighborhood watches to “thoroughly report those who disrespect their neighborhood” and told the news site Salto that the city should provide more dog waste bags.
Carla Rocchi, president of the Italian animal rights group ENPA, said, “This measure not only penalizes families and tourists who choose to travel with their dogs, but also sends a profoundly flawed message: turning animals into a fiscal ATM.”
Ilaria Parogni contributed reporting.
Victor Mather, who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news.
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