Another blog, another acronym...in this case the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years act, known officially as HR 3501, recently introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. McCotter of Michigan. This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Service code to allow up to $3,500 in deduction for expenses "paid in connection with providing care (including veterinary care) for a qualified pet". I have not explored the bill in depth to discover what "care" other than veterinary care would be allowed, but I presume this would mean such things as "doggie day care", grooming, and so on.
More details, including a link to the text of the bill, can be found here. I will mostly let this pass without comment, although in spite of the importance of our cats to my family, my recognition of the changing role of companion animals in society, and my involvement in this profession, I am still taking a bit of a sideways glance at this.
I am very curious as to what you might think. Is this a good idea in general? What about the proposed deduction in relation to the structure of the deduction to your own health care costs? Do you think this would, in fact, increase pet care utilization, for the benefit of the pet?
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