Pat Dollard

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Times Online:

Ministers have dropped a plan to force a pet tax on the country’s six million owners which was intended to tackle the menace of dangerous dogs.

Only a week ago Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary, and Alan Johnson, Home Secretary, proposed a compulsory third party insurance for all dogs to pay for injuries to victims of dog attacks.

But the suggestion — part of a consultation on review of the dangerous dogs laws — provoked a furore from dog charities and owners who already microchip and insure their pets who feared they would be hit by heavier bills and more red tape while irresponsible owners would just ignore the law.

The Conservative Party immediately sought to exploit the issue and approved a poster at the weekend showing a photograph of Gordon Brown’s face on the body of a dog with the slogan: “A Dog Tax..Oh Yes. Labour’s latest tax will penalise responsible owners. We’ll clear up the mess.”

There was particular concern that pensioners who relied on the companionship of their pet dogs would be hit.

In a U-turn Mr Benn has ruled out compulsory insurance for all dogs.

He said: “We don’t want to penalise the vast majority of responsible dog owners because they’re just as concerned as everyone else about the small minority who mistreat dogs, get them involved in dog fighting or use dogs as weapons.”

He suggested instead that compulsory insurance could be a requirement of a new dog control order known as a “Dogbo”.

These could be issued by police or council wardens like fixed penalty notices and require certain conditions on owners of dangerous and aggressive dogs, such as muzzling, keeping on a leash or insuring their pet.

“The idea of compulsory insurance was something that was raised with us because of the horrific injuries some very dangerous dogs can cause,” Mr Benn said.

“We would still be interested in views on whether third party insurance could be a requirement of a dog control notice(that is, if a dog is causing a problem). Any suggestion that we will put a tax on all dog owners is simply untrue – yet another example of desperate Tory scaremongering.”

The Conservatives seized on the climbdown and accused ministers of turning the announcement into a “political dog’s dinner”.

Nick Herbert, Shadow Environment Secretary, said the Labour Party had dithered for years on the issue of dangerous dogs and had rushed out a “totally flawed” policy.

“We need a comprehensive approach to this problem with a focus on the minority of owners who use dangerous dogs as weapons, not the vast majority of responsible dog lovers,” he said.