In Germany, a man has been paying tax on non-existent dogs for several years

A resident of the city of Hilden in Germany won a court case against the local authorities, who obliged him to pay a tax on dogs that the man did not have, writes the magazine "Spiegel".

The dispute between Marianus Krall and the administration of the city of Hilden in North Rhine-Westphalia lasted for several years. The authorities tried to collect from the man a tax on the maintenance of pets for four years, despite the fact that Krall did not own pets. The basis for the charge was the publication on social networks, where the man posted photos with dogs belonging to his daughter, friends and neighbors.

In 2022, the city council sent Krall a questionnaire with a request to fill out information about two dogs allegedly belonging to him. After the man did not respond, the administration sent new requests. When the man nevertheless sent a reply explaining that he did not own animals, the authorities did not accept him due to the lack of an official signature. As a result, a tax order in the amount of 1,404 euros was issued against him. Later, despite the recognition by the authorities that Krall does not own dogs, the tax requirement remained in force due to the missed appeal deadline.

After several years of litigation, the court finally ruled that the man was not required to pay tax on "non-existent" dogs. In the decision, in particular, it is noted that the authorities could have carried out an inspection at home before passing a tax decree. As a result, the representative of the city administration, after lengthy discussions, agreed to cancel the tax claim. However, Krall still had to pay half of his lawyer's fee.

After the meeting, the man admitted that he was satisfied with the outcome of the case, although he had been "very tired" over the past two and a half years of litigation.

"The actions of the local authorities are unacceptable, I have long been dissatisfied with their work," the man summed up, adding that he decided to run for mayor of Hilden "in the name of change."