意大利“貓狗稅”提案遭強烈反對

上週五，意大利當地媒體報道該國議會委員會提議向貓狗等寵物徵稅，以幫助飽受債務危機困擾的城鎮增加收入。這一消息發佈後立即受到各界批評，動物權益保護組織稱這一做法會讓更多動物被遺棄，而不少政界人士則表示這一提議“很古怪”、“不現實”、“很白癡”，“很丟人”。一位議員甚至表示，現在就剩下老婆孩子沒有徵稅了。因爲遭遇強烈反對，這一徵稅提議在當天傍晚被撤回。

A proposal to levy a tax on cats and dogs that stunned Italy on Friday turned out to be all bark and no bite after a wave of popular anger saw it withdrawn on the same day it was made public.

Italy was abuzz for hours after local media reported that a parliamentary commission had proposed a tax on domestic “animals of affection” to raise revenue for debt-strapped cities and towns.

Protests were voiced by everyone from animal rights groups – who said it would prompt more people to abandon animals – to politicians who called it everything from “grotesque” to “surreal” to “idiotic” to “shameful”.

There was so much reaction – all of it incredulous – that one Italian agency ran nearly 40 news items on the proposal in less than four hours.

The proposal was withdrawn by early Friday evening however, and it seemed everyone on the commission where it was discussed was denying its paternity.

“The only thing that’s left to tax are wives and children,” said parliamentarian Domenico Scilipoti.

Italy, like many other countries across the euro zone, is struggling to revive its economy and reduce its public debt, a predicament that has prompted the country’s lawmakers to try to dream up new revenue-raising measures.