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Better sit your furry 'tocks down for this one. Introduced on July 31, a proposed bill (HR 3501), Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years, or 'HAPPY Act,' would give pet owners a sizable tax break. The primary sponsor, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich), reasons that the economic crisis has negatively affected all Americans and pets should not be excluded in tax relief solutions.
The bill would basically amend the IRS code to allow an individual to deduct up to $3,500 in a taxable year for qualified pet care expenses. The bill defines qualified deductions as "amounts paid in connection with providing care (including veterinary care) for a qualified pet expense other than any expense in connection with the acquisition of the qualified pet."
The bill's language specifically defines a qualified pet as a "legally owned, domesticated, live animal." Evidently, the bill does not include research animals or those used in a business, such as breeders or lion tamers.
"Well, we've had reports of people having to turn in pets because of the economic recession. And when you think about the relationship between people and pets and the humane way that it helps people think, it seemed to me to be a good idea, and we dropped it in."
--Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) in an interview with YouTube's DoggyTV
I really have to hand it to Rep. McCotter, who is likely to face resistance from non-pet owners who will cry unfair advantage. He is taking a brave, unprecedented stand on human-animal relationships and putting his money where his food bowl is. The congressman is clearly (ahem) non-neutered.
On the other hand, owning a pet is an option and, yes, an economic luxury. God knows I'd love to have a horse of my own (and came close a few times) but just can't stomach the $700 per month care and feeding of such an animal.
I have also had to put off getting a doggie companion until my income stabilizes. And yes, it's pretty awful being without a pet - excruciating, actually. Of course, if I already had a dog, we'd find a way to make it work - like any family in a pinch.
Shhh. You hear that? It's the fair and inevitable question ringing through the air: "Why should non-pet owners be subsidizing pet owners through the taxes they pay?"
And a possible-added-benefit question ringing in my own head: "Might such a tax break encourage people who have thought about adopting a pet to act on it?"
"Providing pet owners the opportunity to deduct pet care expenses is an important step towards ensuring that pet owners provide adequate veterinary and other necessary pet care. It encourages responsible pet ownership and will hopefully reduce the abandonment of pets by people struggling as a result of the economic downturn."
--Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC)
I've read some rumors that the tax break would not be available to all pet owners but only those who make over a certain income. Still, I couldn't find this in the bill brief and have not seen it confirmed anywhere trustworthy.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means and it will be interesting to see what happens to it. (If you want to actively support the bill, go here or call your local House rep and bark in their ear.)
No matter the outcome, I definitely got a weird thrill reading an official puppy-love acknowledgement in that famously clinical congressional-ese:
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63 percent of United States households own a pet.
(2) The Human-Animal Bond has been shown to have positive effects upon people's emotional and physical well-being.
Huzzah! The Obvious has finally found its way into the hallowed halls of our nation. Rick DeBowes, commenting on Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine blog, summed it up nicely:
"Interesting, as I have long wondered how long it would take for the human-pet-veterinarian bond to reach into society so far that federal legislation would be forthcoming to support it. The pendulum continues to swing."
***
A fine suggestion from Wenchypoo over at WenchWisdom:
"Maybe a better way to write off animals would be to give a tax credit for every animal adopted from a shelter--that way, it would offset the cost of getting the animal out (spaying/neutering, shots, dental, etc.)
