Connecticut Earns Dubious Tax Distincton

Connecticut is one of only two states in the entire country that ranks in the top 10 in two key tax categories: real estate and vehicles, according to WalletHub.

The average real estate or home property tax bill in Connecticut is more than $3,000, while the average car tax bill is more than $600.

Both are dependent on local mill rates in the city or town in which the tax is being assessed.

Rhode Island also ranks in the top 10 in both categories.

State Sen. Rob Kane, a Republican from Watertown, says such high taxes means the state probably has more state services than it should.

"I think we have four basic functions that government has to perform: public health, public safety, infrastructure and education," Kane said. "Everything else, if you can find it in the yellow pages, I don’t think the state needs to do it."

Lawmakers are considering a potential cut to the car tax for some cities and towns, but the change could lead to hikes elsewhere.

State Sen. Martin Looney, the Senate's top Democrat, has said on numerous occasions that a flat statewide car tax makes sense because a car shouldn't have a different value just because it's in Greenwich or Hartford.

"It really is unfair to have such a radical disparity in our car tax rate. We need to have more uniform taxation on motor vehicle property," Looney told NBC Connecticut last week.

Kane says Connecticut needs to show the country and potential employers that it's good at many things that aren't taxing its residents in myriad ways.

"It’s a good thing we’re ranked No. 1 in basketball, because in everything else, we’re down at the bottom of the list," he said.

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