(Watch) CT Senate GOP Stands With Farmers Who Are Facing Major Tax Hikes

CT Senate GOP: “We Have Connecticut Farmers’ Backs”

Farmers Face Major Tax Hikes

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Watch the Press Conference here:

https://ct-n.com/ctnplayer.asp?odID=25761

Sen. Heather Somers, Sen. Jeff Gordon, Sen. Ryan Fazio and Sen. Stephen Harding today stood with Connecticut farmers who are facing major tax increases following changes to how state farmland is assessed.

State law (Public Act 490) sets the assessment value for farm, forest and open space property at the use value as opposed to fair market value. Every five years, the values are adjusted by the State of Connecticut.

Last month, the state announced considerable increases to the values of most types of Public Act 490-eligible land, with the most significant increase being the value of swamp land. This valuation for Connecticut swamp land went from $40 an acre to $970 an acre.

Amidst public complaints from farmers and the lawmakers, the state recently revised the schedule, eliminating the increase to swamp land. But some land categories still face significant tax spikes. (Click here for chart.)

“Our message today is: We have Connecticut farmers’ backs,” Sen. Somers said. “We must reform the state’s policies and procedures to ensure they help, not hurt our farmers. Farmers deserve a voice in the process.”

The lawmakers will push for farmer representation in the review process. They want farmers included on a committee to provide input on assessment changes. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has acknowledged the need to make changes to how future land values are determined.

“To address this potential disaster, I have been working with the Department of Agriculture, the governor’s budget office, and the Connecticut Farm Bureau,” said Sen. Gordon, a Co-Chair of the legislature’s Rural Caucus who serves as a member of the Connecticut Farm Bureau. “We must remain vigilant in order to ensure clarity, predictability and affordability for Connecticut farmers going forward.”

“Farming is the backbone of our economy,” Sen. Fazio said. “It feeds our families. The least that farmers are asking for in exchange is a predictable, stable state tax policy that doesn’t take farms out of commission in the state of Connecticut. It is unacceptable that farmers are facing tens of thousands of dollars in increased property tax bills.”

The lawmakers and farmers noted that they continue to have questions regarding the state’s methodology and the survey data, which appears to be arbitrary and lacking evidence. The state’s data collection methods differed from prior years and led to a very low response rate (4.02% of mailed surveys), which significantly impacted the schedule.

Some of the methodological choices included flipping the values for different land types based on responses that the state thought were illogical. The ability of the state to revise the schedule with no changes to the data that they collected have raised concerns among farmers about how the program is operating.

“Sen. Somers, Sen. Gordon and Sen. Fazio are champions for Connecticut farmers.” Sen. Harding said. “They – and our entire Senate Republican Caucus – will stay on top of this issue in order to protect farmers and give them the certainty they deserve.”

A newly created online petition can be viewed and signed at www.SaveCTLand.org.