New York Eyes A New Tax On Pets

The New York Sun reports:

Despite ending the year with a $1.5 billion surplus, Albany is considering what could come to be known as the Paw and Claw Tax, a 3% sales tax on pet food and pet supplies.

Under a bill introduced by a Republican senator from New York City this week, pet owners would pay a little more for milk bones, squeaky toys, hamster wheels, catnip, birdbaths, and other supplies for their loyal companions. Owners of ferrets and potbellied pigs should not be concerned; the statewide tax would be slapped on wholesale products for the following animals: dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, and caged birds.

New Yorkers already pay the highest taxes in the nation, so it's not surprising that someone in Albany would suggest that pets shoulder some of the burden. The author of the bill, however, says the tax is aimed at helping pets. The legislation requires that the extra revenue go toward financing animal shelters and wild life rehabilitators.

"When people realize the money is going to shelters, they will understand it's for a worthwhile cause," the bill's sponsor, Senator Frank Padavan, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The lust for more revenue is endless in New York.How many House seats do you think New York will lose after the next census?