According to an article today in the Hartford Courant, the West Hartford Taxpayers Association (WHTA) is about 400 signatures away from forcing a referendum on the recently adopted town budget. While I understand the concern that property taxes will rise by approximately 6.6% for all West Hartford homeowners, I don’t believe cutting the budget is the way to go. West Hartford draws and retains residents because of the perception of excellent services and the public
This past Thursday evening I attended the Town Council budget hearing at town hall. The hot topic was the recent property revaluation and new mill rate. It was well attended, I would say over 60 people showed up, even though it was Holy Thursday and Passover. By my observation, the majority of people were long time West Hartford residents, living in the town anywhere from 25-50 years. Several of the residents that spoke were from
Today on CNN Money there is a piece about tax (un)friendly places … Tax Friendly States. The primary result for us Nutmeggers is that we have one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the country at 12.2%. Connecticut ranks 8th in the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ report that ranks State and Local Tax Burden as a percentage of income. Vermont pays the most at 14.1%, while Alaska pays the least at 6.6%.
I am often asked how CT property taxes are calculated and how they may change. Here’s an explanation. In the state of CT, real estate is taxed at the municipal level. There is no property tax levied by the state. Each town estimates expenses for the upcoming year and sets the local tax rate (called the Mill Rate) that is needed to support the budget. The town generates a list of all taxable properties that