Playful, Adorable, Carnivorous...and Deductible?

At the end of July a bill (H.R. 3501) was introduced in the House by Michigan Representative Thaddeus McCotter that would make the costs of pet care tax deductible. The Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act, amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction, up to $3,500 per year, for pet care expenses, including veterinary care. It has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Citing that 63% of US households own a pet and that the “human-animal bond has been shown to have positive effects upon people's emotional and physical well-being," the bill would allow amounts paid in connection with providing care for a qualified pet (other than acquisition costs) to be deductible. A qualified pet is defined as a legally owned, domesticated, live animal. Exceptions would exclude animals used in conjunction with a trade or business, or animals used for research. If passed, this would take effect for the 2010 tax year.

 

Well, this act would certainly make me happy. I always wished I could count my cats as dependents, since I consider them part of my family. They certainly depend on me for everything, and at times I have had considerable and necessary medical expenses for them. This isn't quite the same as adding another dependent, but the deduction possible is nearly as much as the personal deduction.

 

Besides being of benefit to all pet owners, I think this will be a great help in other areas. People will be more willing to adopt pets if they get some help financially, and they will be more willing to take their pets in for veterinary care if the expense incurred is deductible. Pet health insurance might look better if the premiums were deductible. This would be an easy mini-stimulus package that could encourage needed consumer spending. With more money being spent on pets, this in turn would be a job creator in all pet care areas: veterinary, pet sitting and walking, grooming, pet products, pet food, etc. It's a win-win for everyone; people, their pets and the economy. And we need all the help we can get these days.

 

I would like this bill better if they had included a fully refundable tax credit for low-income pet owners. This would get cash to pet owners hit hard by the economic downturn. A fully refundable credit might prevent families from abandoning their pets when things get tough, and thus prevent putting additional strain on the nation's already overburdened pet safety net.

 

What can you do? Use the contact information below to urge passage of this bill:

 

The Care2 has a petition you can sign in favor of this bill.

The ASPCA has a letter you can customize, and they will send to your representative to show your support.

You can find out who your Congressional representative is, and send an email message directly, at the United States House of Representatives official page.

You can contact the House Committee on Ways and Means and ask them to vote in favor of HR 3501.

 

I urge everyone to do so.