How will Minsk authorities know who unregistered dogs live with? They are counting on attentive neighbors

In fact, an experiment on legalizing pets is starting in the capital. How this mechanism will work and how the presence of an animal in an apartment will become known, writes sb.by.

The number of pets in the country is unaccounted for. But it should be: according to legislative requirements, cats and dogs in residential premises are subject to registration. Moreover, owning a dog also requires paying a tax. But does everyone follow the law?

In the capital alone, according to Marina Toustsik, the General Director of the "Minsk City Housing Services" organization, de jure there are 1.5 thousand domestic cats and 13.8 thousand dogs. De facto, however, according to experts, there are about five times more. And this is disorder. Therefore, the capital decided to encourage animal lovers to fulfill their obligations — registering pets and paying the dog tax.

— As early as March, a reminder about the need to register pets will be placed in paper and electronic utility bills," said the General Director of Minsk City Housing Services (MCHS).

— By July 1, during the so-called transition period, we will remind people about the need to comply with legislative norms. And in the July utility bill, taking into account the available information on unregistered pets, we plan to include the tax for dog owners — regardless of whether registration has been made or not.

Where does the information come from?

To levy a tax on an unregistered dog, it is necessary to establish that the animal resides in an apartment. Such work is already underway. Utilities, of course, will not conduct total checks and mass raids. They have their own methods of obtaining information, as stated by the MCHS. For example, it comes from local sources — both from housing maintenance units and from district administrations and veterinary clinics. Attentive neighbors — why not?

— Appeals from citizens also serve as assistance," says Marina Toustsik. — For example, we recently reviewed an appeal that ultimately prompted people to register three pets in one building entrance.

According to the General Director, if information about the presence of a dog in an apartment is received, the Housing and Utilities Department is obliged to record this fact within 15 days and clarify with the owner whether the animal has official registration. If it does, the tax is already being calculated. If there are no supporting documents, a prevention and warning mode is activated. And if the pet owner ignores the offer to register, the tax collection procedure will be launched.

The MCHS reminded: sanctions for violating dog keeping rules — a fine ranging from 1 to 15 basic values (Art. 16.30 of the Administrative Offenses Code). This is mainly handled by housing and communal services employees. But if the pet owner ignores the accrued tax, representatives of another department step in.

— The measure of responsibility for non-payment of the dog ownership tax is exactly the same as for any tax defaulter," explains Olga Tarasevich, Deputy Head of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties for the city of Minsk.

— This is a fine of 15 percent of the unpaid tax amount, but not less than 0.5 basic value (Article 14.4 of the Administrative Offenses Code).

Dog owners must pay the dog ownership tax quarterly from the moment the animal reaches three months of age. The amount of a single payment in 2026 is 14 rubles (67 rubles for a potentially dangerous breed of dog). In Minsk, it's even less: for a regular dog, you only have to pay 11.1 rubles per quarter.

Article 309-1 of the Tax Code establishes tax exemptions for dog ownership. Exempt from payment are:

♦ disabled persons who own a guide dog, disabled persons of group I and II, disabled persons of group III (for one dog only);

♦ citizens who have reached the generally established retirement age or are entitled to a pension with a reduced generally established retirement age (for one dog only);

♦ parents (adoptive parents) raising disabled children under 18 years of age, or in large families with three or more children under 18 years of age (for one dog only);

♦ persons residing in single-family or block-of-flats residential buildings (for one dog only).

— If there are no exemptions, the tax amount that appears in the utility bill must be paid simultaneously with the utility service charges," clarifies Olga Tarasevich.

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