Fewer municipalities taxing dog ownership

More and more municipalities in the Netherlands are scrapping the dog tax. In 2010, dog tax was still levied in 308 of the 431 municipalities. This year only 193 municipalities are still taxing dog ownership, eight fewer than in 2019, according to figures Statistics Netherlands released on Tuesday.

The municipalities that still tax dog ownership, expect to collect a total of 51 million euros in dog tax this year, 2.9 percent les than in 2019.

The Hague estimates the highest dog tax revenue this year with over 2 million euros. The much smaller Vleiland expects to collect the lowest amount at 15 thousand euros. This year, dog owners in The Hague will pay 124.08 euros per year for one dog. In Vlieland the tax amounts to 78.26 euros per year for one dog.

While the two largest cities in the Netherlands, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, no longer levy dog tax, this tax is still most common in urban areas. 70 percent of municipalities with a very strong urban character tax dog ownership. In non-urban areas, only a third of municipalities levy dog tax.