KARA is protesting the Korean Animal Protection Society's and Department of Planning and Finance's proposal to add a 10% VAT on vet bills as of July. That essentially means all pet care expenses will increase.

Naturally, Korea's animal protection organizations are disgusted by this and reject the government's taxation proposal.

To date, medical care from doctors and vets has been tax-free, but the VAT will put pet care in the same category as cosmetic surgery! Mi-suk Im, a team leader at KARA, said "Vaccination and medical care are essential for pets and shouldn't be put on the same level as cosmetic surgery." Indeed, animals have medical needs just like people, and getting treatment is not out of choice, as with cosmetic surgery, but out of necessity.

Jong-il Kang, a chairman of Korea Animal Protection Society, pointed out that "36% of pet owners earn a low income of under 2 million won per month (US $1850). He was "worried about pets suffering and being abandoned because owners can't afford to take them to a vet." Kang pointed out that on average a dog needs about 150,000 won for medical care, including vaccinations, and that will turn into 165,000 won with VAT, and a lot more for larger bills. No doubt people will think twice about paying it.

The number of abandoned animals in Seoul had decreased from 17,577 in 2005 to 15,373 in 2007, but when the recession hit in 2008 it steadily increased. It was at 18,624 last year. The government's VAT will only exacerbate the problem.

Protests about the government scheme are proceeding with petitions online and at veterinary clinics. Vets, of course, are very much against the proposed VAT.

Meanwhile, the best excuse an official in Department of Planning and Finance had offer was that "VAT on Vet expenses is a international trend" and "this was considered when we made the new policy."

Anyone with common sense can realize that more vet expenses will lead to more abandonment. While the government sits back and collects its new tax, the cost of it will fall first on the victims, who will be abandoned or sold to dog meat traders, and then on welfare agencies like KARA, which will be left to clean up the mess.

Update, June 3, 2011

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Finance and Strategy has passed the vet VAT. Starting in July, those living with companion animals--approximately 18 percent of households--will see vet bills go up by 10%.

KARA and many groups condemned this change but to no avail. Here is an official statement released by KARA on the issue;

We oppose the enactment of the new vet tax. Providing proper veterinary care for companion animals is a crucial part of being a responsible owner. Things like vaccines, spaying and neuter operation to prevent overpopulation, and other treatments related to an animal’s natural aging process are not optional but absolute necessities.

Our country is still lacking in the legal and policy framework to provide companion animal with proper protection from the many abuses they face. Dogs and cats are sold online and delivered like objects. In many cases, they are easily bought, carelessly treated and brutally abandoned. High veterinary fees make this worse, as they are often what drive some owners to neglect sick animals in their care or even to abandon them. After all, the cost of buying a new pet is much cheaper than providing the veterinary care needed to treat a sick one.

So the new tax will place additional burden on responsible owners, and will be an easy excuse for irresponsible owners to abandon animals.

Little regulatory restraint exists to fight these and other inhumane practices in this country. We still have no concrete measures to end eating of dogs and cats. Our society still has a long way to go in providing these animals with sufficient protection. The low level of animal protection and animal rights advocacy within the legal framework of Korea makes us as a society still largely unconscious of our need to be more considerate towards companion animals.

As for those who point to the examples of Western countries as the reason why Korea should also adopt a vet VAT, we remind you that Korea does not have the same legal and cultural protection for companion animals as other developed countries.

Lastly, we ask that our statement is carefully examined and that you provide us with case studies of all the countries that you think compare with Korea.

There is a bright side to all of this. The issue has aroused the anger of many Koreans and on May 23, a National Assembly member Lee Nak-Yeon along with 23 others put forward a Tax Reform Partial Amendment Bill to oppose the vet tax.

On June 1, KARA and 15 other civic organizations including the Korean Veterinarian Association, came together to hold a press conference in front of the National Assembly building, pledging to do everything in order to fight the tax law.

The organizations released this statement:

Companion animals aren’t objects of luxury but real companions of warmth and love to many middle and lower-middle class people in Korea. The new tax is to be taken seriously since it will affect nearly one fifth of the population. That’s over 4 million households and 10 million people who are living with companion animals.

So, we are asking why the administration short-circuited the usual 20 days legislative enforcement notice to just four days. Enactment of this law must be preceded by clear communication with our citizens as well as by thorough examination of related laws and improvements made to the animal protection system. Without these things, the law will only serve to increase the number of animals who are abandoned including by owners who have no other choice.