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Business & Economics
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California tax officials target breeders via Internet _Send us feedback
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officials target breeders via Internet)
June 29, 2009
By: Timothy Kirn
For The VIN News Service
California tax officials are surfing — the Internet, that is.
It is not unusual for authorities, potential employers, bankers and others
to use the Internet to investigate people.
And now California tax officials are targeting potential breeders that
way.
According to a letter from the California Board of Equalization, board
officials visited the American Kennel Club Web site and linked to individual
dog clubs to identify potential breeders living in the state.
Board officials are not sure if these dog club members are breeders, but
they could be.
Tax board spokeswoman Anita Gore confirmed that 361 individuals will
receive the letter. She would not say how or why those particular individuals
were identified, however.
Gore also said the board was unapologetic about using the Internet to
identify potential breeders. The Internet is a research tool, like any other,
and a fairly popular one, she said.
Though a few blogs have speculated that the state might be groping
gracelessly for funds with this effort, due to the California government's
financial distress, Gore said the letters are a typical education and outreach
effort that the board periodically makes.
Breeders are in the spotlight because "quite often people who sell animals
are not aware of this tax obligation,” Gore said.
According to California tax law, anyone who sells more than two animals a
year must have a seller’s permit and pay the state a sales tax.
Fifty letters have been sent out so far, Gore said. The rest will be
mailed in the coming weeks. The letter states that the recipient must respond
and let the board know whether he or she has a permit, would like to apply
for one or does not need one because he or she does not sell animals.
Board members have received no complaints about the letters, Gore said.
But at least a few are concerned.
Dawn Capp, an attorney and animal advocate, said the fact that the board
has used the American Kennel Club Web site and other dog club Web sites is
going to upset some people who will ask not to be listed so they cannot be
targeted. That will limit resources for the general public, as people visit
club Web sites searching for information and help.
“It definitely is going to have a chilling effect on information,” said
Capp, founder of the Coalition of Human Advocates for K9s and Owners (CHAKO).
Capp _posted a notice about the letters on the CHAKO blog_
(http://news.vin.com/Link.plx?ID=70527) and alerted a number of other bloggers
about the
issue, who have also posted notices.
Capp said it is heavy-handed of the state to target people just because
they are members of a dog club. She also said that when she called the board,
she was told that it will pursue people who do not respond to the first
letter with a second letter and might investigate if that second letter is
ignored.
“The problem is that this is a very Big-Brother type of mentality,” she
said. “They don’t know whether anyone is a breeder. There are all kinds of
dog clubs out there. It sends the message that you are presumed guilty
until proven innocent.”
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