Politics & Government

Car Taxes Higher in Simsbury Than Avon

A new report by Connecticut Magazine underscores car tax inequities across the state.

If you bought a new car in 2013 you probably just realized that you're paying high auto taxes now as a result. 

What you probably don't know, if you live in Simsbury, is that one town over in Avon you could be paying lower taxes on that car.

According to a report in Connecticut Magazine a 2013 Honda Civic in Simsbury has a tax bill of $378.70. But next door in Avon that same exact car would be taxed at $309.65.

That's because Simsbury's tax rate, which is 31.37 mills is higher than Avon's, which is 25.65 mills. 

Both of these towns' rates are lower than in other municipalities around the state. In Hartford, for example, you would pay $896.84 for that civic because the mill rate is 74.29 mills. And the mill rate is tied to how much a town spends versus its income. Towns use the mill rate to make up the difference. 

The magazine makes the case that such tax disparity from town to town is unfair.

"In Connecticut, it’s the community you call home—and its fiscal status—that is the overriding variable determining if you’ll have to fork over $100 or $800 in taxes for the exact same vehicle," the magazine says. "And, in a sort of double-jeopardy, motor vehicle tax bills tend to be most gentle in Connecticut’s nicer and most affluent communities and toughest in the larger, more challenged places."

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy believes the car tax is regressive and unfair and sought to eliminate it this past year, a plan that drew howls of opposition from town and city leaders and never made it through the legislature. 

You can view Connecticut Magazine's interactive map of the local breakdown of car taxes.

What do you think? Is the car tax unfair? 


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