Reduction of the dog tax

A reduction of the dog tax is a reduction to half of the assessed dog tax. The reduction is only granted upon application by the dog owner. All reduction circumstances are listed conclusively in the dog tax law Bremen. The tax office will require the completion of certain questionnaires. In Bremerhaven, a different local law applies and therefore other reduction facts.

If a dog is kept as a protection dog, a test certificate from a recognized professional association must be submitted to the tax office.

Dogs required to guard buildings that are located more than 100 meters from the nearest inhabited building, measured from building entrance to building entrance on accessible routes, and that contain only one dwelling or are unoccupied, receive a reduction. The same applies to dogs used for guarding agricultural homesteads or required by licensed companies in the guarding trade or by licensed individual guards for the performance of guard duty.

The kennel tax is calculated only for dog breeders. In this case, two dogs are assessed. Dog breeders must keep two purebred dogs of the same breed, including at least one bitch, for breeding purposes. The kennel, breeding stock and dogs bred must be registered in a stud book maintained by a dog breeders association. Dogs that are kept but belong to a different breed and do not meet the requirements for kennel status are fully taxable. The further requirements can be found in the "Leaflet on kennel tax".