OLR Bill Analysis

HB 5541

AN ACT CONCERNING THE SITUS OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR TAXATION PURPOSES.

SUMMARY:

By law, the motor vehicles commissioner must give each tax assessor a list identifying motor vehicles and snowmobiles subject to property tax in the assessor's town. This bill gives the assessor access to the department's records it uses to prepare the lists, in order to identify the situs of motor vehicles and snowmobiles that are subject to property tax, notwithstanding the Freedom of Information Act. The situs is the town where the vehicle or snowmobile is subject to property tax.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2009

BACKGROUND

Related Case

In Davis v. Freedom of Information Commission (259 Conn. 45 (2002)), the Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's decision that the law does not bar the Bridgeport tax assessor from disclosing motor vehicle information provided by the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Related FIC Ruling

In 2007, the DMV denied the Bridgeport assessor's request for its statewide list of motor vehicle owners and their addresses. The DMV commissioner denied the request, stating that federal and state laws restricted him form disclosing driver information that did not apply to municipal grand lists. The assessor complained to the Freedom of Information Commission (FIC), which upheld the commissioner's decision (O'Brien v. Department of Motor Vehicles, Docket # FIC 2007-135).

COMMITTEE ACTION

Planning and Development Committee

Joint Favorable