From 2024, the dog tax will be abolished in Zoetermeer. Our municipality joins more than half of the municipalities in the Netherlands, which have stopped charging dog tax to their residents for some time now.
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As a result, the municipality misses about half a million in income per year, we read this premium article from AD Zoetermeer.
Rabies and stray dogs
For years owners of Zoetermeer have been complaining that our municipality continues to charge the dog tax every year, while a large part of the Dutch cities no longer do so. The proceeds have always been an important source of income for our city. D66 party leader Gernand Ekkelenkamp says about this to the AD: “The municipality can now simply afford to abolish the dog tax. In recent years there was no financial room for this.”
The dog tax was introduced in the 15th century, and it is the oldest form of tax in the Netherlands. At the time, this was to combat rabies and limit the number of stray dogs.
Everyone pays
With the abolition of the dog tax, all Zoetermeer residents must contribute to the costs for dogs in our city from 2024. These costs include the management and maintenance of, for example, off-leash areas and for dispensers with dog poop bags. The costs for inspectors, who went door-to-door to check the number of dogs, are no longer necessary.