[News Today] GOV’T CONSIDERS PET TAX

[LEAD]
Over 15 million people in Korea own pets. This means, one in every four households has a pet. But unfortunately, more and more pets are being abandoned each year. Costs in managing these abandoned animals amount to hundreds of billions of won annually. Who is responsible for these costs? We take a look.

[REPORT]
A kindergarten for pet dogs in Seoul.

The homeroom teacher shows them how to behave when taking walks.

Chung In-ho / Dog trainer
We teach them social skills focusing on people since they’ll live with their guardians for life.

Food and clothing for pet dogs are now in many ways similar to those used by humans.

Song Jong-hwa / Pet shop staff
In the past, dog food was made with meat by-products, but nowadays it is made with human-grade ingredients.

Some 15 million people in Korea have pets.

In 2010, they made up only 17% of the country's population, but now the number has risen to nearly 30%.

As pets increase, the social costs of their care are also rising.

Song Seok-yun / Animal Protection Team, Yongin City Gov't
We get 2-3 abandoned dogs daily and the same number needs to be adopted to keep up.

Last year, 37.4 billion won, or about 27 million U.S. dollars, was spent to rescue and take care of abandoned animals.

That's the reason the government is considering introducing a pet tax.

Cho Chan-hyung / Lawyer
Pet owners are the ones who cause the issue of abandoned animals.

Costs needed to accommodate 450,000 dogs rescued from dog meat farms before the grace period of the law prohibiting dog meat consumption ends is also a serious issue.

Yoo Je-bum / Nat'l Assembly Research Service
Securing funds for accommodating rescued animals is very difficult.

However, there are concerns that if the pet tax is introduced, more animals could end up being abandoned because of the financial burden felt by their owners.

Lee Ki-jae / Korea Pet Industry Association
Most seniors in rural areas are poor, taxing them could lead to widespread animal abandonment.

The government says more discussion is needed to determine which animals will be subject to the pet tax.

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