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Tax Assessor Hopes To Corral Undeclared Horses

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Is a horse considered a pet or a piece of personal property subject to

taxation?

According to Tax Assessor Denise Hames, horses are considered personal

property by the state and can be taxed. She is considering conducting a local

equine census to obtain an overall count of horses in Newtown.

"People are not reporting their horses. We don't have a proper count of

horses; not all of the town's horses are on the tax rolls. We have no idea how

many are not being reported," Mrs Hames said.

Newtown Bridle Lands Association (NBLA) President Cindy Blackman-Fogliano said

the taxation of horses is nothing new. It used to be done many years ago, but

has not been carried through recently, she said.

NBLA spokesperson Kim Connolly called it just another revenue maker.

"It's kind of a silly tax, but the NBLA won't take a formal stand against it.

It's on the books, so be it," she said.

Mrs Connolly expects the tax will be difficult to enforce.

Some members of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association say they were unaware of

any law that empowered municipalities to place a tax on horses. Dogs are not

taxed, so why should horses, they said. The town does not provide any services

for horses.

"I've lived here all my life and never knew anything about it," said one NBLA

member.

According to a state statute, all horses and ponies can be taxed. While other

livestock -- such as cows, chickens and pigs -- receive some exemptions,

horses and ponies do not.

"All horses are to be reported to the town assessors office as personal

property in October," Mrs Hames said.

NBLA members wonder how the town will be able to put a value on horses since

there is no Blue Book to refer to. The tax assessor is expected to rely on

information provided by each horse's owner.

"If this money for taxing horses is going into the town coffers, we bloody

well better get some of that money back for trail maintenance," noted horse

owner David Macauley, an NBLA member.

This year, only 37 horses were declared as personal property, according to Mrs

Hames. With a very high concentration of horse owners in Newtown, the actual

number of horses could be in the thousands.

"I would say there are between 2,000 and 3,000 horses in town," Mr Macauley

estimated.

"There are supposedly more horses per square mile in Newtown than in any other

town in Connecticut," Mrs Connolly said. "I'm not sure if that's fact or

long-term bragging rights. We do have a heavy horse population."