2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 22a - Environmental Protection › Chapter 446e - Solid Waste Management Services Act › Section 22a-270. (Formerly Sec. 19-524cc). - Tax exemption of authority, lessees and operators. Assessment and taxation of certain leased authority property.

(a) The exercise of the powers granted by this chapter constitute the performance of an essential governmental function and the authority shall not be required to pay any taxes or assessments upon or in respect of a project, or any property or moneys of the authority, levied by any municipality or political subdivision or special district having taxing powers of the state, nor shall the authority be required to pay state taxes of any kind, and the authority, its projects, property and money and any bonds and notes issued under the provisions of this chapter, their transfer and the income therefrom, including revenues derived from the sale thereof, shall at all times be free from taxation of every kind by the state except for estate or succession taxes and by the municipalities and all other political subdivisions or special districts having taxing powers of the state; provided nothing herein shall prevent the authority from entering into agreements to make payments in lieu of taxes with respect to property acquired by it or by any person leasing a project from the authority or operating or managing a project on behalf of the authority and neither the authority nor its projects, properties, money or bonds and notes shall be obligated, liable or subject to lien of any kind for the enforcement, collection or payment thereof. If and to the extent the proceedings under which the bonds authorized to be issued under the provisions of this chapter so provide, the authority may agree to cooperate with the lessee or operator of a project in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings for determining the validity or amount of such payment and may agree to appoint or designate and reserve the right in and for such lessees or operators to take all action which the authority may lawfully take in respect of such payments and all matters relating thereto, provided such lessee or operator shall bear and pay all costs and expenses of the authority thereby incurred at the request of such lessee or operator or by reason of any such action taken by such lessee or operator on behalf of the authority. Any lessee or operator of a project which has paid the amounts in lieu of taxes permitted by this section to be paid shall not be required to pay any such taxes in which a payment in lieu thereof has been made to the state or to any such municipality or other political subdivision or special district having taxing powers, any other statute to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, real and personal property owned by the authority may be assessed and taxed against a lessee pursuant to chapter 203 by the municipality in which such property is located if such property is leased as of July 1, 2007, to a lessee or operator by the authority pursuant to an initial site lease entered into between the authority and a lessee on or before December 31, 1985. This subsection shall not apply to property which is: (1) The security for any bonds issued by the authority and outstanding on July 1, 2007, until the indebtedness evidenced by such bonds has been paid in full, (2) leased by the authority pursuant to a lease in effect on January 1, 2007, until after the expiration of the lease term in effect on said date, whether by execution of a new lease, by amendment of the lease or by renewal or extension of the term of such lease pursuant to an option stated therein if such amendment is entered into or such option is exercised after said date, or (3) the subject of an agreement for payments in lieu of taxes between the municipality and the authority or its lessee during any municipal fiscal year covered by such agreement. The lessee shall be liable for taxes assessed pursuant to this subsection and shall have the right to appeal the amount it is assessed in the tax year such property first becomes taxable hereunder in the same manner as a purchaser of formerly tax-exempt property under section 12-81a, with the same effect as if a conveyance to a nonexempt purchaser had been placed on the land records on the date the property first ceases to be exempt pursuant to this section. The assessor and collector of the municipality shall proceed with respect to such property in the same manner as is provided in said section 12-81a with respect to adding the property to the grand list, giving notice of the assessment to the lessee and billing the taxes due thereon to the lessee.
(P.A. 73-459, S. 14, 26; P.A. 76-170, S. 2, 4; P.A. 07-255, S. 3; P.A. 10-32, S. 87.)
History: P.A. 76-170 clarified proviso re payments in lieu of taxes and referred to amounts in lieu of taxes “permitted” rather than “required” by section; Sec. 19-524cc transferred to Sec. 22a-270 in 1983; P.A. 07-255 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re municipal assessment and taxation of certain leased authority property, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 10-32 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective May 10, 2010.