Residents who adopt abandoned dogs from shelter to get €200 cut on rubbish collection tax.

A town in eastern Sicily has introduced an annual discount of €200 on TARI, or waste disposal tax, for those who adopt an abandoned dog from affiliated animal shelters or local kennels.

The "kennel emptying bonus" introduced by the town council in Misterbianco, near Catania, is part of measures to help citizens with their taxes through "concessions that combine innovation and common sense", according to mayor Marco Corsaro.

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The measure has three aims, Corsaro stated: "it encourages the adoption of four-legged friends; aims to reduce the costs of sheltering strays in affiliated shelters and, above all, rewards families who adopt with a well-deserved cut on local taxes."

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The move has been widely welcomed on social media however some commentators have called for checks to be put in place to ensure the wellbeing of dogs after they have been adopted.

To learn about the process of adopting a dog in Rome, see our guide.