The government’s dizzying fiscal witchhunt (as reported in the Resident at the beginning of September) has now set its sights on dog breeders.
It is a move that has set alarm bells ringing in kennels up and down the country – and one that may even put the sector at risk.
As kennel club boss Luís Catalã explained: “We are all extremely worried. The reason is simple: dog breeding is not in the least bit profitable.”
But fiscal authorities seem hell bent on their mission to round-up dog breeders and make them pay.
They have sent a request to Catalã’s CPC (Portuguese kennel club) asking it to supply a list of all the country’s registered members, and details of all litters born in their kennels in the last three years.
According to reports, they are also notifying breeders “to give explanations of their activity”.
It is yet another example of how the state’s money-collectors are making use of data freely supplied online.
“This is a great concern for the CPC and for all our breeders,” Luís Catalã agreed.
National tabloid Correio da Manhã goes so far as to suggest it could signal the end of dog breeding in Portugal.
CM reveals that this latest tax-swoop seems to have been prompted by someone complaining about the high prices charged for certain breeds.
It is true that an English bulldog pup, for example, with all its papers, vaccinations and even the requisite microchip can go for as much as €2,000 – but other websites offer pups for less than half that price, and as CM points out: “Breeders say their activity involves huge costs”.
“This latest initiative by the tax authorities could mean breeders pulling out of Portugal altogether,” CM concludes.
