THE ITALIAN city of Bolzano is introducing a new tax that will apply to all dog owners, both locals and tourists, from 2026. According to the city administration’s decision, each owner will have to pay 1.50 euros per day per dog, while Bolzano residents will have to pay 100 euros annually.
It was officially explained that the money collected in this way will be used to clean the streets and build new dog parks.
Citizens fear losing green spaces
The new measure has sparked a range of reactions and divided the public. Many residents have expressed concerns that the new parks could mean banning dogs from existing city green spaces, which they consider unfair.
The city of Bolzano has already introduced mandatory dog DNA registration, to make it easier to track down and punish owners who do not clean up after their dogs. Fines for such behavior are up to 600 euros. Provincial councilor Luis Walcher announced that owners who have already registered their dogs’ DNA will be exempt from paying the new tax for two years.
City authorities: “The measure is fair”
Councilor Walcher explains that this decision was made so that the costs of cleanup would be borne by those who cause them.
“This measure only affects dog owners, which is fair. Otherwise, the costs would be borne by the whole community,” said Walcher.
Activists: “Animals are being turned into taxpayers”
However, opponents of the measure believe that this move sends a bad message and unnecessarily punishes responsible owners. Carla Rocchi from the National Animal Protection Agency (ENPA) says that this approach is doing a lot of damage.
“This measure turns animals into taxpayers. The province of Bolzano scores an own goal with this. It is especially ironic that this is done by a region that generates a large part of its income from tourism,” said Rocchi. She added that it is possible that the tax could deter citizens from responsible ownership and in the long run lead to a greater number of abandoned dogs.
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