Cantonal Council LU Lucerne livestock guarding dogs are still subject to dog tax

In the canton of Lucerne, owners of livestock guarding dogs are not to be exempt from the dog tax. This was decided by the cantonal council on Monday by 58 votes to 53.

In the canton of Lucerne, dog owners pay an annual tax of CHF 120 per dog as soon as the animals are six months old. In the first reading of the law on the keeping of dogs, the cantonal council decided that owners of assistance dogs should be exempt from the tax, but that therapy dogs should continue to be taxed.

The second reading only dealt with livestock guarding dogs. The preliminary advisory committee submitted a corresponding motion. Its spokesperson Pia Engler (SP) said that the reason for the tax exemption was that livestock guarding should be promoted, while the reason against it was that livestock guarding dogs were already subsidized.

Jasmin Ursprung (SVP) was vehemently in favor of a tax exemption. She said it was a contradiction for the canton to tax an animal that the federal government was subsidizing. Because of the wolf, livestock guarding dogs are important farm animals and hardly use public facilities such as Robidog.

Government Councillor Michaela Tschuor (center), on the other hand, said that livestock guarding dogs do not perform a public or sovereign task. In addition, owners not only benefit from federal subsidies, but also from a reduced cantonal dog tax.

The partial revision of the Dogs Act was approved by 109 votes to 0 after the second reading.

SDA