Several states have subsidized programs to neuter or rehome companion animals or address animal abuse and neglect, and recently, more states are proposing to adopt similar efforts. While noble in cause, several of these states’ means for solving these social issues involves increasing taxes on pet food manufacturers. The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) believes that the costs of these efforts should not be borne by the pet food industry through legislatively mandated taxation and has worked to defeat several of these state bills, which ultimately impacts the costs of purchasing pet food and treats for all citizens.
Instead of tax increases on businesses, AFIA advocates for special license plates, voluntary tax form checkoffs, humane facility licensing and private donations as reasonable tools to raise money to provide care for homeless pets and feral cats. In most states, animal food registration fees are authorized through statute to cover the costs of regulatory oversight of the feed and pet food industries and were not originally intended to fund animal welfare programs.
