New bill would cut taxes for nonprofit animal shelters

Pat Garafalo
State Rep. Pat Garafalo, R-Farmington, held a 4-month-old puppy, Milo, while asking the house taxes committee to approve a measure to exempt shelter animal adoption fees from sales taxes. They laid over the bill for inclusion into an omnibus tax measure later in the session.
MPR Photo/Tim Nelson

State lawmakers are considering a proposed sales tax exemption for nonprofit animal shelters.

Members of the House Taxes Committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would allow shelters to accept donations for pet adoptions, without those transactions being taxed. Shelter operators say that money could be better used to rescue animals.

Sitting with a rescued puppy named "Milo," Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, told committee members that his bill would keep the full donations with the shelters.

"They provide a very valuable service," he said. "We talk about the need for private organizations and charitable organizations coming up to provide these things. They're able to do this instead of government and having animal control officers and things like that."

The estimated cost of the exemption for 2012 is $306,000. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus tax bill.

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