3. Cow flatulence tax
No. 3 on our list of ridiculous taxes is something rather odd yet real. Cow flatulence is known to produce methane emissions, which are the leading cause of global warming. Cows slow digestion, combined with a gas-producing diet of greens, has been found to cause excessive methane buildup.
The issue is worsened by slaughterhouses, which house thousands of cows in one spot, producing large clouds of methane. Environmentalists and neighbors often complain about the bad smell as well as the harmful effects on air quality.
Denmark and Ireland, along with other EU nations, have started taxing cattle owners on cow flatulence. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, the “byproducts” of livestock like cows are responsible for about 17% of the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.
Cow flatulence costs Irish farmers $18 per cow, while in Denmark they have to pay $110 per cow.
