To Tax or Not to Tax...for Pets?

Turns out that "election day" wasn't just about who will be the president for the next four years, who controls what, or who won and who lost.  Rather, in some areas it was about life and death; life and death of thousands of cats and dogs that is.  In an unprecedented action, Florida's Miami-Dade county overwhelming voted in support of a measure that could save the lives of over 20,000 cats and dogs a year.

County Commissioner's placed the measure, sponsored by Pets' Trust, on the ballot to gauge public opinion on adding a property-tax increase to be used specifically for animal welfare.  The public responded with an almost 65% approval to add an average of $20 a year to their property taxes.  As a result, Commissioners are now expected to move forward with creating a new agency to boost efforts by their Animal Services Department.

Miami-Dade's Animal Services Department takes in around 37,000 cats and dogs a year with more than half of these animals currently being euthanized.  The new tax is expected to bring in around $20 million annually to go towards free and low-cost veterinary services (including spaying/neutering surgeries), public education programs, adoptions, retention programs, and more.  The county's goal to to achieve a "no kill" standard for their Animal Services Department.

A volunteer board of animal advocates and experts with independent oversight from a national board will be created to ensure funding is handled properly.  If the program is successful, then Pets' Trust expects to use it as a national model by areas around the country to save the lives of even more animals.

You can learn more about Pets' Trus at: http://www.petstrustmiami.com/landing/learn.asp