The town hall of Misterbianco, a community bordering the southern Italian city of Catania, has announced a unique initiative aimed at improving the lives of stray dogs and the town’s residents.
The initiative offers a deduction of up to €200 per year from sanitation taxes for those who adopt abandoned dogs housed in municipal buildings or animal shelters, as reported by Comune di Misterbianaco.
This measure is intended by the authorities to encourage dog adoption, helping to reduce the costs of shelters, and "rewards families who adopt with a well-deserved reduction in local taxes," according to the Local Council, as reported by the Italian press.
Termed as the "Kennel Emptying Bonus," the Local Council of Misterbianco, a southern Italian commune with approximately 50,000 inhabitants and part of the metropolitan area of Catania, aims to also "help our four-legged friends," stated Marco Corsaro, the town’s mayor.
Animal rights organizations report that in Italy, approximately 50,000 dogs and 80,000 cats are abandoned each year.
The tax reduction is part of the measures adopted in favor of citizens through "concessions that combine innovation and common sense," Corsaro added.
Thus, residents who adopt dogs in this Italian community will save €200 per year on TARI, the municipal tax for garbage collection and other waste.
In Italy, this tax consists of a fixed quota and a variable amount that changes depending on the number of occupants and the size of each dwelling.
