Dog tax will rise from 2026: This is how much dog owners have to pay!

Dog tax will rise from 2026: This is how much dog owners have to pay!

The local council in Merching recently decided on a significant increase in the dog tax, which will come into force on January 1, 2026. According to this new regulation, the tax for each dog is set at 75.00 euros, while the tax rate for fighting dogs remains unchanged at 600.00 euros. This measure follows a series of increases taking place in various municipalities in Germany.

The dog tax, which is an annual tax in Germany and is due on April 1st, has not recently been increased in Merching. Loud gemeinde-merching.de All dog owners will receive a new dog tax notice in good time before the due date. The local council's decision in favor of Merching is in line with a general trend towards higher dog tax rates in many German cities.

Increases in other cities

An example of this is the municipality of Eichenau, which has also decided on an increase of 60 percent. There the fee for the first dog is increased from 40 euros to 65 euros. This increase is the first in almost 20 years and came into force on April 1, 2025. A proposal to further increase it to 80 euros did not find a majority, while the fee for fighting dogs remains at 960 euros tz.de reported.

The dog tax is an important source of income for municipalities and is handled differently in Germany. The regulations vary considerably. For example, cities like Mainz charge the highest tax at 186 euros per year for the first dog, while others, like Ahlen, charge no fee at all. In an analysis by kommunal.de published, it was found that 36 out of 395 cities surveyed have increased their taxes, representing about 9 percent of the cities analyzed.

Distribution of the dog tax and its effects

Critics of the dog tax praise the need to regulate dog ownership, but express concerns about the unfairness of the tax distribution, as there is no comparable tax for other pets. The dog tax is considered a trivial tax with little administrative effort, which, according to the Eichenau municipal administration, is only processed by a single municipal employee for one hour each week.

In summary, it can be said that the increase in dog taxes in various regions of Germany has significant effects for both dog owners and municipalities. While on the one hand the tax represents a source of income and regulates dog ownership, many owners will have to prepare for increased financial burdens in the future.