Pets could end up paying the price for GST.
That’s the stark warning from Guernsey’s largest animal welfare charity, the GSPCA, which says the proposed tax could increase costs for owners while reducing the money available to care for sick, injured and abandoned animals.
The charity sayid GST would not just affect shoppers at the tills – it believes it could also bite into its own income, push up costs for animal businesses and ultimately leave pet owners footing a bigger bill.
GSPCA manager Steve Byrne said while the public had been told GST would not affect charities, “we have been advised [by the States] that services such as boarding would potentially fall within the proposed taxation system”.
“This means not only an impact on income that helps fund our animal welfare work, but also additional administration which could require further staff time and resources to manage.”
Running costs
The charity fears that could reduce vital income used to fund its 24-hour animal welfare service while creating extra bureaucracy and staff costs.
Mr Byrne said the charity’s annual running costs were now approaching £1.5 million – almost double what they were in 2019 – while it is also trying to raise £4 million for its Biggest Build Appeal.
He said the GSPCA had already been hit by rising pension contributions, increases to the minimum wage, higher utility bills, waste charges and new licensing costs.
The charity says the proposed tax would also ripple through the wider animal sector, with businesses facing extra costs that could eventually be passed on to customers.
Ignored by States
Mr Byrne said: “With more than 10,000 dog owners and 10,000 cat owners, not to mention all the other pet owners, the proposed tax will impact each of us from the services we all need as pet owners to their feed.”
The GSPCA said it first raised its concerns with the States in December last year and was still awaiting a response.
It said it understood the financial pressures facing the island but remained concerned about measures that could place further strain on charities already battling soaring operating costs.
The charity, which provides a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week animal welfare service across the Bailiwick, is also continuing to raise funds for its £4 million Biggest Build Appeal to provide new facilities for Guernsey’s animals and wildlife.
Without the continued support of donors, volunteers and businesses, it said, maintaining its round-the-clock rescue and welfare services would become even more challenging.
