Car Taxes: They're Higher in East Windsor Than Windsor Locks

This article was posted by Elyssa M. Millspaugh. It was reported and written by Eileen McNamara.

If you bought a new car in 2013 you probably just realized that you're paying higher auto taxes now as a result.

What you probably don't know, if you live in East Windsor, is that one town over in Windsor Locks you could be paying lower taxes on that car.

According to a report in Connecticut Magazine a 2013 Honda Civic in East Windsor has a tax bill of $298.50. But next door in Windsor Locks that same exact car would be taxed at $292.99.

That's because East Windsor's tax rate, which is 24.73 mills, is higher than Windsor Locks', which is 24.27 mills. 

The magazine makes the case that such tax disparity from town to town is unfair.

"In Connecticut, it’s the community you call home—and its fiscal status—that is the overriding variable determining if you’ll have to fork over $100 or $800 in taxes for the exact same vehicle," the magazine says. "And, in a sort of double-jeopardy, motor vehicle tax bills tend to be most gentle in Connecticut’s nicer and most affluent communities and toughest in the larger, more challenged places."

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy believes the car tax is regressive and unfair and sought to eliminate it this past year for cars costing less than $28,000. But that plan drew howls of opposition from town and city leaders and never made it through the legislature. 

You can view Connecticut Magazine's interactive map of the local breakdown of car taxes.