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Discussion Continues on Horses and Taxes in Deep River

Originally taxed because they were a form of transportation for town residents, horses in the Deep River are still taxed as personal property. The town’s tax rules may soon be revised to keep up with changing times, however.

The hope of horse owners in town is that the tax on horses as personal property will soon go away, following the lead of more than 30 other towns in the state, including Essex, that passed ordinances doing away with this town revenue stream.

The Deep River Board of Selectman (BOS) intends to draft language sometime soon to exempt from personal property taxes horses worth less than $20,000.

According to First Selectman Angus McDonald, Deep River currently brings in approximately $4,500 in tax revenue from the horse tax and there are no horses in town that have been listed by owners as having a monetary value greater than $20,000.

At the July 9 BOS meeting, 25-plus audience members were there to discuss the horse tax, which has been a sometimes contentious subject for the past few months.

“It doesn’t seem right the BOS is choosing to model themselves after the one town in the state out of 30 who have abolished the tax, and put a cap of $20,000 on horses that will be taxed,” said Kevin Wakelee of Larimar Show Stables.

Wakelee referenced the enabling legislation, Public Act No. 14-33, which allows a vote of the BOS to exempt from property taxation horses or ponies of any value.

“We appreciate the selectman listening to the farmers and possibly accepting the municipal option to get rid of the taxation on horses, we just want to see it done the way the states legislature intended to use the statute. And to avoid any conflicts over assessment which was why the statute was put in place back in 2014 in the first place,” said Wakelee.

The BOS has spoken with the town attorney and the assessor’s attorney and both said it is legal for a town to put a cap on the horse tax.

The BOS did not make a decision on the matter at the July 9 meeting and instead has decided to further investigate the subject.

“Right now, we are thinking about the conversation that was had at the meeting and contemplating,” said McDonald. “I am currently gathering more information about how the value of horses is assessed and we plan to continue the discussion about this issue.”