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 A U.S. Lawmaker is pushing a bill through Congress which would give pet owners a tax deduction on certain expenses related to their animal friends.

House Resolution 3501, also known as "The Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years" or HAPPY Act, would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual to deduct up to $3,500 for "qualified pet care expenses." That means you'd be able to deduct much of what you pay to provide care for your pet, including veterinary care. The deduction *would not* cover the initial expense of buying a pet.

And Americans are spending on their pets, despite the recession. The American Pet Products Association expects spending on pet care will exceed $45 billion this year, up about one and a half billion dollars from 2008.

Animals who are "legally owned, domesticated, live animals" would qualify. So deductions could not be made for animals used for research or owned or used in conjunction with a trade or business.

According to WSL Strategic Retail, a research firm, some 65 percent of American families own at least one pet. And WSL says 81 percent of pet owners admit to spending the same amount or more money on their pets despite the recession.

The HAPPY Act, introduced on July 31, was drafted in conjunction with data from the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey. It has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Pet owners could get tax deduction for expenses

Cincinnati Pet News Examiner-Angela Hursh

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