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Pet owners in the Region of Murcia will soon be able to claim back some of their veterinary expenses on their income tax, regional president Fernando López Miras has confirmed.

 

In a video posted to social media, the president appeared with his dog Pepe to announce that the regional government will approve a new deduction on Thursday June 19, as part of the 2025 regional budget. The initiative will allow residents to deduct up to 30% of their pet-related veterinary costs, with a maximum annual limit of €100. The measure will apply to the income tax return filed next year.

 

“For those of us like me who have pets and have the obligation to protect and care for them, we know that the vet is an extra expense,” López Miras said. “We want to make it easier to deal with these extraordinary expenses. It was a commitment we made, and today we can say it’s been fulfilled.”

 

He added that “for the moment” the maximum claimable amount will be around €100, hinting that this could be increased in future.

 

This isn’t the first time the regional president has teamed up with his beloved Pepe for a policy announcement. He introduced his pet to the public during the 2023 election campaign, when he first floated the idea of a tax break for compulsory vet costs, a promise now being delivered two years later.

 

The new deduction joins a long list of others already available to residents in the Region of Murcia, which include reductions for expenses from childcare expenses to unpaid care of people over 65 years of age and even home energy upgrades.

 

For pet lovers across the region, the new measure is a small but welcome recognition of the costs involved in caring for animals.

 

 

Image: Mikhail Nilov-Pexels