(CN) Guangdong cuts fees for keeping pet dogs

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Guangdong cuts fees for keeping pet dogs

By Liang Qiwen

China Daily

2007-09-26

 

GUANGZHOU: The Guangdong government has lowered the

registration and annual management fees for pet dogs.

 

Formerly, dog owners had to pay 10,000 yuan ($1,315)

to register a pet and an annual management fee of

6,000 yuan.

 

The fees were the highest in the country.

 

Under the new regulations, the registration and annual

management fees have been reduced to 1,000 yuan and

600 yuan, respectively.

 

The old fees had little effect in controlling the

number of pet dogs. In fact many people continued to

keep dogs secretly, ignoring the fees.

 

According to the government, the city has about

100,000 dogs, but only 842 were registered by the end

of last year.

 

Many do not have their dogs inoculated against

diseases because they are afraid of being fined for

not registering them.

 

Earlier this year, deputies to the city's people's

congress and members of its political consultative

conference raised concerns about the dog problem.

 

They suggested the fees be reduced so that more would

register their pets.

 

Zhang Guangning, the mayor of Guangzhou, said on

Monday the new fees had been approved by the

government.

 

Blind people who need guide dogs are exempt from the

fees. Widows, widowers or elderly people with little

financial support, can request a reduction or

exemption. People who have infertile dogs will be

allowed to pay half the fees.

 

" We are changing the old policy of controlling pet

dogs in the hope the new one will be more effective, "

Zhang said.

 

(China Daily 09/26/2007 page4)

 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2007-09/26/content_6134021.htm

 

 

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