Sec.
12-91. Exemption for farm machinery, horses or ponies. Additional optional exemption for farm buildings or buildings used
for housing for seasonal employees. (a) All farm machinery, except motor vehicles, as defined
in section 14-1, to the value of one hundred thousand dollars, any horse or
pony which is actually and exclusively used in farming, as defined in section
1-1, when owned and kept in this state by, or when held in trust for, any
farmer or group of farmers operating as a unit, a partnership or a corporation,
a majority of the stock of which corporation is held by members of a family
actively engaged in farm operations, shall be exempt from local property
taxation; provided each such farmer, whether operating individually or as one
of a group, partnership or corporation, shall qualify for such exemption in
accordance with the standards set forth in subsection (d) of this section for
the assessment year for which such exemption is sought. Only one such exemption
shall be allowed to each such farmer, group of farmers, partnership or
corporation. Subdivision (38) of section 12-81 shall not apply to any person,
group, partnership or corporation receiving the exemption provided for in this
subsection.
(b) Any municipality, upon approval by its legislative
body, may provide an additional exemption from property tax for such machinery
to the extent of an additional assessed value of one hundred thousand dollars.
Any such exemption shall be subject to the same limitations as the exemption
provided under subsection (a) of this section and the application and
qualification process provided in subsection (d) of this section.
(c) Any municipality, upon approval by its
legislative body, may provide an exemption from property tax for any building used
actually and exclusively in farming, as defined in section 1-1, or for any
building used to provide housing for seasonal employees of such farmer. The
municipality shall establish the amount of such exemption from the assessed
value, provided such amount may not exceed one hundred thousand dollars with
respect to each eligible building. Such exemption shall not apply to the
residence of such farmer and shall be subject to the application and
qualification process provided in subsection (d) of this section.
(d) Annually, within thirty days after the
assessment date in each town, city or borough, each such individual farmer,
group of farmers, partnership or corporation shall make written application for
the exemption provided for in subsection (a) of this section to the assessor or
board of assessors in the town in which such farm is located, including
therewith a notarized affidavit certifying that such farmer, individually or as
part of a group, partnership or corporation, derived at least fifteen thousand
dollars in gross sales from such farming operation, or incurred at least
fifteen thousand dollars in expenses related to such farming operation, with
respect to the most recently completed taxable year of such farmer prior to the
commencement of the assessment year for which such application is made, on
forms to be prescribed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. Failure to file such
application in said manner and form within the time limit prescribed shall be
considered a waiver of the right to such exemption for the assessment year. Any
person aggrieved by any action of the assessors shall have the same rights and
remedies for appeal and relief as are provided in the general statutes for
taxpayers claiming to be aggrieved by the doings of the assessors or board of
assessment appeals.
(September,
1957, P.A. 18; 1959, P.A. 191, S. 1, 2, 3; 1961, P.A. 477; 1963, P.A. 510;
1971, P.A. 358, S. 1; P.A. 77-614, S. 139, 610; P.A. 79-610, S. 3, 47; P.A.
80-393, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-572, S. 1, 3; P.A. 87-346, S. 3, 4; P.A. 92-64, S. 2,
3; P.A. 94-201, S. 5, 7; P.A. 95-283, S. 41, 68; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6, S.
82, 85; P.A. 03-234, S. 1; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e); P.A. 04-189,
S. 1; P.A. 05-228, S. 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 113.)
History: 1959
act extended section's application to include farm machinery and removed
limitation of application to assessment lists of 1957 and 1958; 1961 act
extended section's application to include corporations, and added that Sec.
12-81(38), (40) and (42) shall not apply to groups of farmers; 1963 act deleted
exception of fur breeders; 1971 act amended Subsec. (a) to include property
held in trust; P.A. 77-614 substituted commissioner of revenue services for tax
commissioner, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-610 substituted Secretary of
the Office of Policy and Management for Commissioner of Revenue Services,
effective July 1, 1980; P.A. 80-393 changed maximum value exempted from $3,000
to $10,000, effective May 23, 1980, and applicable in any town to the
assessment year commencing October 1, 1980, and each assessment year
thereafter; P.A. 85-572 amended Subsec. (a) to
increase the amount of exemption for farm machinery from a value up to $10,000
to a value up to $100,000 and Subsec. (b) by requiring
that the farmer claiming the exemption submit a notarized affidavit certifying
that the principal means of livelihood of such farmer is derived from such
farming operation, effective
Cited. 156 C. 110.
Where principal means of livelihood of
plaintiff and its shareholders was from the loam and gravel business, which
court found not to be a farming operation, farm machinery was not exempt. 26 CS 163.