State Tax Panel

Public Act 14-217 Sec. 137. (Effective from passage) (a) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding shall convene a panel of experts in tax law, tax accounting, tax policy, economics and state, local and business finance, who shall not be members of the General Assembly, to review the state's overall state and local tax structure.


  Read more . . .   


The panel shall consider and evaluate options to modernize tax policy, structure and administration with respect to (1) efficiency, (2) cost of administration, (3) equity, (4) reliability, (5) stability and volatility, (6) sufficiency, (7) simplicity, (8) incidence, (9) economic development and competitiveness, (10) employment, (11) affordability, and (12) overall public policy. All such options shall include consideration and evaluation of the impact and extent of such tax policy upon business and consumer decision-making. In addition, such panel shall also evaluate the feasibility of (A) creating a tiered property tax payment system that includes any property that is (i) state-owned, (ii) owned by an institution, facility or hospital and for which a payment in lieu of taxes has been made pursuant to section 12-20a of the general statutes, as amended by this act, or (iii) owned by a nonprofit entity, (B) assessing a community benefit fee upon any property that is not liable for the payment of property taxes, (C) taxing property owned by an institution, facility or hospital and for which a payment of taxes has been made pursuant to section 12-20a of the general statutes, and (D) requiring any such institution, facility or hospital to report the value of its real and personal property.

(b) (1) The members of the panel shall be appointed jointly by the Governor and the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding. The panel shall be comprised of up to fifteen members, and all such appointments shall be made not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(2) The following persons or their designees shall be ex-officio, nonvoting members of the panel: (A) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding, (B) the president pro tempore of the Senate, (C) the speaker of the House of Representatives, (D) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, and (E) the Commissioner of Revenue Services. (3) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding shall convene the first meeting of the panel not later than August 1, 2014. The voting members of the panel shall elect chairpersons at such meeting.

(c) The panel shall organize itself into four subcommittees as follows: (1) Personal income taxes, including estate and gift taxes; (2) business taxes, including excise taxes; (3) consumer taxes; and (4) property taxes. Additional experts may, with the approval of the chairpersons of the panel, be invited to participate, without vote, on such subcommittees. (d) Not later than January 1, 2015, the panel shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding, on the results of its considerations and evaluations, and submit any findings and recommendations for further action. Such recommendations may include an extension of time for the work of the panel, except in no event shall the panel continue beyond January 1, 2016.

  Read more . . .   


The panel shall consider and evaluate options to modernize tax policy, structure and administration with respect to (1) efficiency, (2) cost of administration, (3) equity, (4) reliability, (5) stability and volatility, (6) sufficiency, (7) simplicity, (8) incidence, (9) economic development and competitiveness, (10) employment, (11) affordability, and (12) overall public policy. All such options shall include consideration and evaluation of the impact and extent of such tax policy upon business and consumer decision-making. In addition, such panel shall also evaluate the feasibility of (A) creating a tiered property tax payment system that includes any property that is (i) state-owned, (ii) owned by an institution, facility or hospital and for which a payment in lieu of taxes has been made pursuant to section 12-20a of the general statutes, as amended by this act, or (iii) owned by a nonprofit entity, (B) assessing a community benefit fee upon any property that is not liable for the payment of property taxes, (C) taxing property owned by an institution, facility or hospital and for which a payment of taxes has been made pursuant to section 12-20a of the general statutes, and (D) requiring any such institution, facility or hospital to report the value of its real and personal property.

(b) (1) The members of the panel shall be appointed jointly by the Governor and the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding. The panel shall be comprised of up to fifteen members, and all such appointments shall be made not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(2) The following persons or their designees shall be ex-officio, nonvoting members of the panel: (A) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding, (B) the president pro tempore of the Senate, (C) the speaker of the House of Representatives, (D) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, and (E) the Commissioner of Revenue Services. (3) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding shall convene the first meeting of the panel not later than August 1, 2014. The voting members of the panel shall elect chairpersons at such meeting.

(c) The panel shall organize itself into four subcommittees as follows: (1) Personal income taxes, including estate and gift taxes; (2) business taxes, including excise taxes; (3) consumer taxes; and (4) property taxes. Additional experts may, with the approval of the chairpersons of the panel, be invited to participate, without vote, on such subcommittees. (d) Not later than January 1, 2015, the panel shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding, on the results of its considerations and evaluations, and submit any findings and recommendations for further action. Such recommendations may include an extension of time for the work of the panel, except in no event shall the panel continue beyond January 1, 2016.

Contact

State Tax Panel
  • Tom Spinella, Committee Administrator- Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee
  • Legislative Office Building, Room 3700
  • Hartford, CT 06106
  •   (860) 240-0463
  • Mary E. Finnegan, Retired State Tax Panel Adminstrator
  
  Membership List

Documents and Meetings

  Hearing September 16, 2015  

 

  January 29, 2016   

  December 15, 2015   

  December 8, 2015   

  November 17, 2015   

  October 27, 2015   

  October 13, 2015   

  September 30, 2015   

  September 16, 2015   

  May 12, 2015   

  April 21, 2015   

  January 29, 2015   

  October 28, 2014   

  September 29, 2014