Vermont Statutes Title 32 Sec. 5402
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 32 Sec. 5402
- Appraisal: A determination of property value.
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Taxes. See
- Common level of appraisal: means the ratio of the aggregate value of local education property tax grand list to the aggregate value of the equalized education property tax grand list. See
- Education property tax grand list: means the list of property determined pursuant to section 5404 of this title. See
- Education property tax spending adjustment: means the greater of one or a fraction in which the numerator is the district's education spending plus excess spending, per equalized pupil, for the school year, and the denominator is the property dollar equivalent yield for the school year, as defined in subdivision (15) of this section. See
- Education property value: means the aggregate fair market value of all nonhomestead and homestead real property that is required to be listed at fair market value as certified during that year by the Director of Property Valuation and Review under section 5406 of this title, plus the aggregate value of property required to be listed at a value established under a stabilization agreement described under section 5404a of this title, plus the aggregate use value established under chapter 124 of this title of all nonhomestead real property that is enrolled in the use value appraisal program. See
- Education spending: means "education spending" as defined in 16 V. See
- following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
- Homestead: means the principal dwelling and parcel of land surrounding the dwelling, owned and occupied by a resident individual as the individual's domicile or owned and fully leased on April 1, provided the property is not leased for more than 182 days out of the calendar year or, for purposes of the renter credit under subsection 6066(b) of this title, is rented and occupied by a resident individual as the individual's domicile. See
- Municipality: means a city, town, unorganized town, village, grant, or gore; or, in the case of property located within the territorial limits of an incorporated school district, "municipality" means an incorporated school district. See
- Nonhomestead property: means all property except:
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
§ 5402. Education property tax liability
(a) A statewide education tax is imposed on all nonhomestead and homestead property at the following rates:
(1) The tax rate for nonhomestead property shall be $1.59 per $100.00.
(2) The tax rate for homestead property shall be $1.00 multiplied by the education property tax spending adjustment for the municipality per $100.00 of equalized education property value as most recently determined under section 5405 of this title. The homestead property tax rate for each municipality that is a member of a union or unified union school district shall be calculated as required under subsection (e) of this section.
(b) The statewide education tax shall be calculated as follows:
(1) The Commissioner of Taxes shall determine for each municipality the education tax rates under subsection (a) of this section, divided by the municipality’s most recent common level of appraisal. The legislative body in each municipality shall then bill each property taxpayer at the homestead or nonhomestead rate determined by the Commissioner under this subdivision, multiplied by the education property tax grand list value of the property, properly classified as homestead or nonhomestead property and without regard to any other tax classification of the property. Statewide education property tax bills shall show the tax due and the calculation of the rate determined under subsection (a) of this section, divided by the municipality’s most recent common level of appraisal, multiplied by the current grand list value of the property to be taxed. Statewide education property tax bills shall also include language provided by the Commissioner pursuant to subsection 5405(g) of this title.
(2) Taxes assessed under this section shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as taxes assessed under chapter 133 of this title with no tax classification other than as homestead or nonhomestead property; provided, however, that the tax levied under this chapter shall be billed to each taxpayer by the municipality in a manner that clearly indicates the tax is separate from any other tax assessed and collected under chapter 133, including an itemization of the separate taxes due. The bill may be on a single sheet of paper with the statewide education tax and other taxes presented separately and side by side.
(3) If a district has not voted a budget by June 30, an interim homestead education tax shall be imposed at the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section, divided by the municipality’s most recent common level of appraisal, but without regard to any spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title. Within 30 days after a budget is adopted and the deadline for reconsideration has passed, the Commissioner shall determine the municipality’s homestead tax rate as required under subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(c)(1) The treasurer of each municipality shall by December 1 of the year in which the tax is levied and on June 1 of the following year pay to the State Treasurer for deposit in the Education Fund one-half of the municipality’s statewide nonhomestead tax and one-half of the municipality’s homestead education tax, as determined under subdivision (b)(1) of this section.
(2) The Secretary of Education shall determine each municipality’s net nonhomestead education tax payment and its net homestead education tax payment to the State based on grand list information received by the Secretary not later than the March 15 prior to the June 1 net payment. Payment shall be accompanied by a return prescribed by the Secretary of Education. Each municipality may retain 0.225 of one percent of the total education tax collected, only upon timely remittance of net payment to the State Treasurer or to the applicable school district or districts. Each municipality may also retain $15.00 for each late property tax credit claim filed after April 15 and before September 2, as notified by the Department of Taxes, for the cost of issuing a new property tax bill.
(d) [Repealed.]
[Subdivision (e) effective until July 1, 2024]
(e) The Commissioner of Taxes shall determine a homestead education tax rate for each municipality that is a member of a union or unified union school district as follows:
(1) For a municipality that is a member of a unified union school district, use the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section and a spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title based upon the education spending per equalized pupil of the unified union.
(2) For a municipality that is a member of a union school district:
(A) Determine the municipal district homestead tax rate using the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section and a spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title based on the education spending per total equalized pupil in the municipality who attends a school other than the union school.
(B) Determine the union district homestead tax rate using the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section and a spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title based on the education spending per equalized pupil of the union school district.
(C) Determine a combined homestead tax rate by calculating the weighted average of the rates determined under subdivisions (A) and (B) of this subdivision (2), with weighting based upon the ratio of union school equalized pupils from the member municipality to total equalized pupils of the member municipality; and the ratio of equalized pupils attending a school other than the union school to total equalized pupils of the member municipality. Total equalized pupils of the member municipality is based on the number of pupils who are legal residents of the municipality and attending school at public expense. If necessary, the Commissioner may adopt a rule to clarify and facilitate implementation of this subsection (e).
[Subdivision (e) effective July 1, 2024]
(e) The Commissioner of Taxes shall determine a homestead education tax rate for each municipality that is a member of a union or unified union school district as follows:
(1) For a municipality that is a member of a unified union school district, use the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section and a spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title based upon the per pupil education spending of the unified union.
(2) For a municipality that is a member of a union school district:
(A) Determine the municipal district homestead tax rate using the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section and a spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title based on the per pupil education spending in the municipality who attends a school other than the union school.
(B) Determine the union district homestead tax rate using the base rate determined under subdivision (a)(2) of this section and a spending adjustment under subdivision 5401(13) of this title based on the per pupil education spending of the union school district.
(C) Determine a combined homestead tax rate by calculating the weighted average of the rates determined under subdivisions (A) and (B) of this subdivision (2), with weighting based upon the ratio of union school long-term membership, as defined in 16 V.S.A. § 4001(7), from the member municipality to total long-term membership of the member municipality; and the ratio of long-term membership attending a school other than the union school to total long-term membership of the member municipality. Total long-term membership of the member municipality is based on the number of pupils who are legal residents of the municipality and attending school at public expense. If necessary, the Commissioner may adopt a rule to clarify and facilitate implementation of this subsection (e). (Added 1997, No. 60, § 45, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; amended 1997, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 8, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; 1997, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 53; 1997, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 73, eff. January 1, 1999; 1999, No. 1, § 60e, eff. March 31, 1999; 1999, No. 49, § 30, eff. June 2, 1999; 2001, No. 63, § 276, eff. June 16, 2001; 2001, No. 144 (Adj. Sess.), § 21, eff. June 21, 2002; 2003, No. 68, § 76, eff. June 18, 2003; 2003, No. 68, § 4, eff. for fiscal years 2005 and after; 2003, No. 76 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 2003, No. 80 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 49a, 49c, eff. March 8, 2004; 2003, No. 130 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 2005, No. 182 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 11, 12; 2007, No. 33, § 11, eff. May 18, 2007; 2007, No. 65, § 289; 2007, No. 82, § 12; 2007, No. 190 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 10, 11; 2009, No. 1 (Sp. Sess.), § H.23, eff. June 2, 2009; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 284, eff. Feb. 14, 2014; 2013, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 61, eff. June 4, 2014; 2015, No. 46, § 28; 2018, No. 11 (Sp. Sess.), § H.14, eff. July 1, 2019; 2019, No. 51, § 25; 2021, No. 20, § 267; 2021, No. 127 (Adj. Sess.), § 29, eff. July 1, 2024; 2021, No. 163 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. June 1, 2022.)