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Is Pet Food a Cash Cow for Government?

Sales tax on pet food sales in the U.S. will provide state government an estimated $1 billion dollars of revenue in 2013. The question is, with the revenue our pets provide to government, does the government provide adequate return for our tax dollars? Do we get our money’s worth? You can probably guess the answer.

Sales tax on pet food sales in the U.S. will provide state government an estimated $1 billion dollars of revenue in 2013.  The question is, with the revenue our pets provide to government, does the government provide adequate return for our tax dollars?  Do we get our money’s worth?  You can probably guess the answer.

Cash cow
Noun
1.  A business, investment, or product that provides a steady income or profit.
2.  A person or organization that is a source of easy profit.

The American Pet Products Association provides statistics of pet food sales and pet care spending in the U.S.  They tell us that in 2013 it is estimated $55.53 billion dollars will be spent on pet care in the U.S. alone.  Pet food sales, in the U.S. for 2013 is estimated to be $21.26 billion.

That $21.26 billion in pet food sales will provide state governments with more than $1 billion in revenue from sales tax (estimated 5% tax) in 2013.

Pet supplies and over-the-counter medicine sales provide state governments an estimated $660 million in revenue from sales tax ($13 billion sales, estimated 5% sales tax).

State governments are also provided with annual fees from each pet food/treat manufacturer – sort of registration fees allowing companies to sell products in each state.  Fees vary state to state, however small companies (limited number of pet products, limited distribution) could be paying upwards of $50,000 a year, large pet food/treat manufacturers could be paying upwards of $500,000 a year – each – to state governments just to have the right to sell their products.

Federal government is provided revenue from pet food via business income tax and employee income tax.  Thousands of large and small businesses (manufacturers, distributors, retailers) and all employees of these businesses provide the U.S. government billions of revenue annually.

Conservatively, it could be estimated that pet food alone provides state and federal government with more than $2 billion dollars a year in revenue.  Now, for that $2 billion dollars a year revenue our pets provide state and federal government, here’s just a snippet of what we get in return…

•    Pet food is the unofficial dumping ground for all things waste.  Thanks to FDA regulatory loopholes, illegal waste ingredients – some including euthanized animals – are allowed to be dumped into pet food without warning to the pet food consumer.
•    Minimal random inspection and minimal testing of pet food is performed by FDA (or by the states in cooperation with FDA).  State and federal authorities actively test pet food and inspect (some) manufacturing facilities for contaminants that would make humans ill (such as Salmonella); however little to no testing of pet foods or plant inspections are performed to discover contaminants that would kill or make pets sick (such as pesticides or mold contamination).

So – for an estimated $2 billion dollars a year in revenue that pet foods provide to state and federal government – pet food consumers are provided with (tip of the iceberg) illegal waste ingredient pet foods, no warnings which pet foods contain waste and which pet foods contain quality ingredients, and little to no quality/safety assurance that any pet food might just kill our pet with the next bowl of food.

FDA and State Department of Agricultures – please realize that pet food consumers provide the revenue for ‘your paycheck’.  Consumers are the largest pet food stakeholder, we are the reason there are thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs.  And we deserve better than what you’re doing for us.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Reader

    April 1, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    I used to think that wet meat for my dog was too rich. Even mixed with dry kibble it gave him messy stools more often than not. This happens when my friend’s mix wet food in with their brands of dry kibble. It’s happened over many past years. When I go back to feeding actual pieces of meat (either raw or minimally cooked) with whole foods my dog’s stools go back to normal. I think the PF companies have becomes masters of making canned food “look” and “smell” decent to humans, but only heaven knows what’s really in that STUFF!!

  2. NMD

    April 1, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    I can never understand while the veterinarians push the big companies foods. The markup in so small, they don’t make money off of selling food. I have worked for veterinarians all my life and am embarrassed by what people are told to feed their pets. I feed my dogs and cats a raw diet so I am not allowed to talk to clients about diet/nutrition. People I work with always are so surprised how wonderful my dogs and cats look. And then they ask why they never have to see the doctor. I just look at them and wait for them to say “Their diet, right”? I just give them a big smile.

    • L B

      April 6, 2013 at 7:14 pm

      I agree with NMD – i worked for vet offices for over 12 years – in the early years i didnt know better but as a pet sitter i strongly discourage my clients from excepting prescription diets from the vets – i teach them to read ingredients – I tell them if your willing to pay that kind of money for crappy food let me help you pick a better diet that actually has better ingredients or do home cooked
      not many people are willing to do raw or cooked but its getting better

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