Are we going to be expected to turn in neighbors about unpaid pet taxes?

Laws like this are only obeyed by responsible people.

OMG! A tax for fish in the fish tank!!


............To summarize how outrageous that is, if someone has 100 aquarium fish or koi in a water garden, they could be paying $850 annually to have those fish. If you do not register a “designated caregiver” with the State that means having 100 aquarium fish will cost you $2,500 annually! Ten pet reptiles will cost $85 to $250 annually. 20 assorted pets (dog, cat, hamster, parakeet, tarantula, 2 snakes, three frogs, and 10 fish) would be $170 to $500 each year for this new tax. This tax would apply to all “pet animals.” A child with an ant farm (ants are invertebrates)… get ready to pay big for those pet ants, parents!

The new “online pet animal registration system” will be created and maintained by the Department of Agriculture. The penalty for not registering your animals is up to $100 per animal (“per unlawful act or violation”). If a good citizen is unaware of this new law, those 100 unregistered aquarium or water garden fish could cost $10,000 in fines!

Per the bill, “pet animal” means: A DOG, CAT, RABBIT, GUINEA PIG, HAMSTER, MOUSE, RAT, GERBIL, FERRET, BIRD, FISH, REPTILE, AMPHIBIAN, INVERTEBRATE, OR ANY OTHER SPECIES OF WILD OR DOMESTIC OR HYBRID ANIMAL SIX MONTHS OF AGE OR OLDER, THAT IS SOLD, TRANSFERRED, OR RETAINED FOR THE PURPOSE OF BEING KEPT AS A HOUSEHOLD PET.

Will allow registration for all animals and know how many each home has. They can deal with those who have too many before it becomes a problem.

Like some cities fine you for feeding homeless people.

A link to the bill states where the collected money will go.
https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024A/bills/2024a_1163_01.pdf


“The state’s fee will be used to develop, implement, maintain and administer the system and reimburse animal shelters for the cost of taking custody of a pet animal for which a caregiver cannot be located or has refused to take custody.”

https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024A/bills/2024a_1163_01.pdf

It introduces an online pet registration system. Seems pretty convenient to me. Think renewing your vehicle’s tags online through the MVD. Also a “big government tax”

It also asks that your designate a caregiver to emergency responders so if something happens to you, the pet won’t end up in the pound. Sounds like a thoughtful, good idea to me.

Look up this bill with a google search and see if there is a single, non-right wing hack website that follows this big government tax narrative.


Nextdoor is a cess pool.

How in the world would you keep track of viable versus deceased animals? The record keeping on this would be absolutely astronomical. You could register a puppy and 5 days later that puppy dies. This would be nothing but a nightmare and uncollectible. A fish or snail could die the same day it was purchased. This is insanity.

Are the animal inspectors going to come around to every house and look in every closet? If this was to pass, I can even foresee people euthanizing their pets because they can't pay the taxes and thousands of shelter animals going unadopted.

Are they going to require veterinarians to report all their pet patients to the state? How will the state know if I have 6 cats in my house (I don't)?

Agree 100% with the comment in the sample letter. This will result in more abandon pets because the owners cannot or will not pay the ridiculous tax. Why should I pay a tax on my one cat who lived indoors and never went out. What burden was she placing on the state government? Ridiculous.

Needs to be fired pronto.

Badly worded, poorly thought out. Zero chance of passing. Fees are specified for cats & dogs, but not the others. So what's the fee for my pet spider? Wait and see what the "enterprise" specifies I guess

No mention of support or guide dogs. Are they household pets or working animals? If not on a ranch or farm, so I guess not a working animal, but not exactly a "household pet" either!

If it does pass, just claim you're going to eat (or shear) them and they magically convert to livestock. I think I'll start harvesting the fur my pets are shedding... just in case.

Now if they wanted to pass laws funding free neuter and spaying of cats & dogs it'd likely pass..