Pet owners in Europe were left panicked at the thought of having to pay a tax for their animals after rumours began swirling on TikTok. While some Belgian towns and other countries have introduced a pet tax, the rumour is untrue for other countries in Europe.
But where does this claim come from? In 2000, a real European pet tax project was underway but was not formally introduced.
Officials had planned on charging pet owners an £82 (€95) fee for owning a pet. The aim of the tax was to prevent abandonment of animals after being gifted on occasions such as Christmas.
Rumours of the tax have surfaced on TikTok, with concerned pet owners desperately trying to find out if the rumours are true.
While it is based on a non-binding European directive, there are no plans to apply such a tax in most European countries.
In 2000, 23-years-ago, MEPs wanted to introduce the tax to ensure those purchasing pets were responsible after high numbers of cats and dogs were left in shelters or abandoned.
In France, a tax on dogs existed in 1855 before finally being outvoted in 1970. Although there is no tax today, vaccination and identification of animals remain compulsory.
Since mid-December, videos on the social network have been announcing that owners of dogs, cats, birds and even fish will have to pay a tax because of a new European directive.
Rumours suggested owners could be charged £86 (€100) for a dog or cat, £17 (€20) for a bird or 87p (€1) for a fish.
While these rumours are false, it is true that some European cities do tax pet owners, such as Girona in Spain. But the rates do not exceed £31 (€36) for a dog. In Belgium, a pet ownership permit was introduced in 2022, and is often issued free of charge or for a fee of around £8 (€10).
