A Belarusian woman recounted a police visit where she was asked if she paid cat tax. The situation greatly surprised TikTok users,
writes
BGmedia.
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Photo: vecteezy.com
A Belarusian woman published a video in which she talked about an unexpected visit from a police officer. According to her, this happened around eight in the evening, when the family was already preparing to go to bed.
“A police officer came to us yesterday, it was around eight in the evening, we were already getting ready for bed, and then a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, I opened it — and there was a police officer. And he started asking who lives here, year of birth, where do you work, do you not work, which kindergartens and schools do the children attend, and so on,” the girl recounts in her video.
@kristinapevets19 #kristinaavetsk #preparatory_labels #police#pestih>a title=”оригинальный звук – Kristina_Pevets” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/music/оригинальный-звук-7631866813055929109?refer=embed”>♬ оригинальный звук – Kristina_Pevets
After he recorded all the information, an unexpected question was asked: “He asks: are there any cats or dogs? I say — yes, there is a cat. And he: is it registered, do you pay tax?”
The woman admits she was shocked by what she heard: “I thought: what? I’m hearing about this for the first time. I’ve heard about dogs needing to be registered and paying tax, but about cats — this is completely new to me.”
She decided to clarify if he was indeed talking about cats: “I ask him: what, for cats too? He says: well, yes, of course. For now, for the first time, I’m just warning you — register the cat.”
After the conversation, the Belarusian woman started looking for information: “I’m just in shock, I wonder where and how to do this. I started Googling — and, honestly, I didn’t find any information that you need to pay tax on a cat. Either I don’t understand something, or he misled me.”
How people reacted in the comments
Belarusian users questioned the words of the police officer the girl described.
- “My cat will give birth soon, where should I register to receive maternity benefits for 6-7 minors?”
- “I don’t understand one thing, why should you pay for a cat and what is this tax for anyway?”
- “Do flies and mosquitoes that flew into the apartment also need to be registered?”
- “Then cats also need free medicine.”
- “If I register two cats, I won’t have enough space — I’ll have to queue for housing expansion.”
- “What if my cat is just visiting?”
What the law says
It should be noted that a dog tax came into effect in Belarus this year. At the same time, new legislative norms oblige owners to register all pets, including both dogs and cats, if they are kept in residential premises.
The amount of the tax depends on the dog’s breed: for those classified as dangerous, it is higher than for ordinary ones. However, separate exceptions are provided — for example, for guide dogs. In addition, there are tax benefits for owners who keep several dogs.
As for cats, no tax is established for them.