Tax break for adopting #cats, dogs? Bills would make it happen

April 2, 2015

(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A bill in the state Senate would create a $100 tax break for New York residents who adopt a cat or dog—but perhaps only if they are spayed or neutered.

If passed and signed into law, the legislation would knock $100 off a dog or cat owner's state tax bill if they adopt the animal from a pound or shelter. A taxpayer would be able to claim the credit for up to three cats or dogs a year.

It would be up to the state tax commissioner to decide whether proof spaying or neutering would be required in order to receive the break.

Sen. Phil Boyle, R-Nassau County, introduced the bill Monday, giving it a majority sponsor in the Republican-controlled Senate. Similar bills have been kicking around Albany for years, including a nearly identical one from Sen. Kevin Parker, D-Brooklyn, which has been around since 2008.

Boyle said he introduced the bill after the New York City Council introduced a resolution calling for its adoption. "I think we have at least a shot of getting it passed," Boyle said. "It's a way to promote adoption for these soon-to-be-rescued animals and find them forever homes, and that's always a good thing for us."

The legislation currently does not have a sponsor in the Democrat-led Assembly, where there is a separate proposed bill that would extend a $350 tax credit. That legislation is sponsored by Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, a Brooklyn Democrat.

Another bill in the Senate, sponsored by Republican Sen. Patty Ritchie, a $500-per-pet adoption credit for up to three "household pets."


(File photo by Vincent DiSalvio/The Journal News)
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