California residents: Round down to prevent pet overpopulation

What if helping prevent pet overpopulation was as easy as checking a box? Would you do it?

Now’s your chance. On our California State Tax form, along with various voluntary contributions you can donate a piece of your tax refund to, there’s a box for the Municipal Shelter Spay-Neuter Fund (www.cdfa.ca.gov/spayneuter/spay_neuter.html). However, if we don’t get on the ball and check that box this year, we might not get the chance again.

The Municipal Shelter Spay-Neuter Fund uses the voluntary contributions they receive to help fund low-cost spay/neuter programs run by municipal shelters in California. Last year the program received $190,000 in contributions from citizens, but if the amount received this year is less than $250,000, the option to donate will be dropped from our tax form in the future.

Here’s my proposal. If each person rounded their tax refund amount down the nearest $0 or $5 increment, we could easily bank enough donations to keep the program going. Really, does it matter all that much if you get $83 or $80 back? Maybe not. But if everyone kicked back a few dollars, we can insure that funds are available for spay-neuter programs. I would far rather see a few of my dollars covering that than paying for the needles we taxpayers provide when the number of homeless animals exceeds our shelters’ abilities to care for them. Wouldn’t you?

Do the pets in Kern County, and throughout California a favor this year. When filing your taxes, check the Municipal Shelter Spay-Neuter Fund. Help us work towards an end to our pet overpopulation problem.