(HR3501) THE HAPPY ACT: ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS TO PUSH FOR TAX RELIEF FOR PET OWNERS

Can Your Pet Save You on Your Taxes? See UPDATE 3/27/2011

Are Your Pets Expenses Tax Deductible?posted by Rodale Mar 27, 2011 6:01 pmfiled under: Cats, Conscious Consumer, Dogs, Other Holidays, Pet Health, Pets & Animals, animals, April 15, dependents, federal taxes, government, household expenses, money, Pet Care, pet safety, Pets & Animals, Tax Day, tax deductions, taxes 

Are Your Pet%u2019s Expenses Tax Deductible?posted by Rodale Mar 27, 2011 6:01 pmfiled under: Cats, Conscious Consumer, Dogs, Other Holidays, Pet Health, Pets & Animals, animals, April 15, dependents, federal taxes, government, household expenses, money, Pet Care, pet safety, Pets & Animals, Tax Day, tax deductions, taxes


  • 1. Pet moving costs

Here%u2019s where your pet is considered to be a part of the family%u2026the family property. If you qualify for moving expense deductions (i.e. if you move because you changed jobs), then moving expenses are deductible, including the cost of moving pets.


Pet gear: What you should pack for your furry friend when traveling.


2. Seeing eye/service dog


The law allows for: %u201CThe costs of buying, training, and maintaining a service animal to assist an individual with mental disabilities may qualify as medical care.%u201D This isn%u2019t just your pet who keeps you company when your buddies are all out of town. You have to prove the service animal is being used primarily for your illness. Be sure to have a medical doctor%u2019s note in your files.


3. Guard dog


This is primarily for home-based businesses. Caution: as protective as your Pekinese can be, the IRS may not be too impressed with him or your very moody cat.  A guard dog should be registered, trained, and of a likely breed (German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Doberman, etc).


Bored, anxious, happy, on guard? What%u2019s your dog%u2019s tail trying to tell you?


4. Donations to animal shelters


While adoption fees are not deductible, money that you donate to the shelter out of gratitude may be. Be sure to check with the organization to clarify its non-profit status.





Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/are-your-pets-expenses-tax-deductible.html#ixzz1HuvrfGiT




 

From the Editors of MyPetHealthGuide.com


The non-passing of the HAPPY Act (HR 3501) at the end of the 111th Congress left a lot of pet owners sad. If enacted, the bill would have given a $3,500 tax credit to pet owners with qualifying expenses.  And the depression grows around this time of year when many of us are treading in piles of receipts and credit card bills in an attempt to itemize and deduct all that we can.  Adding up pet care costs can be disturbing. Its one of those things that you may not really want to know, if you want to stay in love with your pet.


As important as our pets are in our lives, nothing raises an accountant s hackles more  than seeing four dependents listed on the tax return of a single man with a dog, two fish, and a ferret.


So, you heard it before, and you ask it again this year and probably again next year, but here is the answer you dont want to hear: Your pets are not deductible. Their healthcare is not deductible. Their food, leash, sweater, exercise equipment, and bones are not deductible.


Joint return: How to introduce your pet to your new partner.


It may cheer you up to hear that there are some pet deductions that are legitimite. Here are some good ones to discuss with your accountant not your friend from the dog park, your accountant:

73 comments

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/are-your-pets-expenses-tax-deductible.html#ixzz1HutVb0qU


241 comments By RICK KLEIN and HUMA KHAN
Oct. 13, 2009 PrintRSS Font Size: Share:EmailTwitterFacebook More )


A bill making the rounds on Capitol Hill marries two feel-good propositions -- tax cuts and pet ownership -- to generate a novel idea: A tax break of up to $3,500 per person for pet care expenses.




Please sign this petition to RENEW THIS INITIATIVE to help Americans help their pets.
HELP CHAMPION THIS CAUSE!  It will help keep pets en masse from being turned into the over-flowing pet shelters because of abandonment or the economy.

The measure is a legislative long shot. But it's been championed by a veteran Hollywood tough guy and by a conservative Michigan congressman, and has drawn the enthusiastic support of animal rights groups eager to promote pet ownership during economic down times.



"We think this is as much a health care bill as any," said Nancy Perry, vice president of government affairs at the Humane Society of the United States. "It's a human health issue to ensure that pets are provided with better care because of the role they play in our families."



The measure even has a snappy acronym: the HAPPY Act, as in Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years.



"What a pro-active way to be able to help the economy and change the culture in this country around animals," Robert Davi, a veteran actor ("The Goonies," "Die Hard," "License to Kill") who was a main force behind the bill's introduction, told ABCNews.com in a telephone interview.




"This money goes back into the economy, and it encourages people to understand the social responsibilities we have toward animals," Davi said.



Betsy Dribben, vice president of government relations for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is realistic about the bill's prospects. Her group is supporting the bill but taking a wait-and-see attitude before pressing members of Congress.




But with more attention being paid to the fate of pets whose owners lose their homes, she said interest is growing on Capitol Hill and beyond about how the government can respond.



"There is a move afoot. There is a general acknowledgement that people really care about their pets," Dribben said. "Taking care of pets does cost money, and during the dramatic decline of people's income and the shaky economy, any possibility of assisting people in meeting those costs should be looked at."

The HAPPY Act (HR 3501) in Process (R Mich) Pet Tax Credit Introduced by Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R  Mich)

TAX Credit for PETS! Support THIS Measure and Rep McCotter!




If the Video does not come up of play click here:  The Happy Act







According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, people love pets especially their own, which probably explains why 63 percent of US households have a pet.  For many pet owners, happiness is pets.



Pets also provide health benefits for their human.  Studies have shown that pets can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduce stress, sniff out diabetes and cancer and provide companionship to ease feeling of loneliness.



In fact, the Human-Animal Bond has shown to be so beneficial to people%u2019s emotional and physical health and happiness that Congressional Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R, MI) has been inspired to introduce a bill (HR3501) to amend the Internal Revenue Code to deduct pet care expenses.  The Act is know as the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Year Act or HAPPY Act.



If the HAPPY Act passes, pet owners would be allowed to deduct qualified pet care expenses such as pet products and pet services, including veterinary, that are related to the care of the qualified pet up to $3500.



To get this bill to pass, pet owners need to contact their Congressional Representative.  Contact can be made by phone, letter or email just let them know you are in favor of HR3501.



House of Rep Switchboard  1-202-224-3121



(or)



visit: www.house.gov/writerep





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