Government to tax pet funerals
The AFP reports that a Japanese court has ruled that pet funerals cannot have the same tax-except status granted to religious funerals of humans:
The Jimyoin temple in central Aichi prefecture offers last rites for animals that resemble traditional Buddhist funerals, with bereaved pet owners paying pre-set fees.
“The list of charges spells out prices. By no means does it show the characteristics of religious donations,” presiding judge Osamu Tsuno said in his ruling.
“This is a profit making operation that should be regarded as taxable income under the corporate tax law,” he said.
