The energy leaders in Connecticut’s General Assembly will push for all cities and towns to grant tax exemptions on commercial solar installations, rather than giving municipalities the option of allowing the exemption.
“Let’s not be meek about this,” said State Sen. Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), co-chair of the legislature’s Energy & Technology Committee.
Duff and fellow energy co-chair State Rep. Lonnie Reed (D-Branford) told a room full of solar businesses at a Renewable Energy & Efficiency Business Association event on Monday in Rocky Hill that the committee will approve a bill calling for a mandatory tax exemption.
“They are so many deals that are about to go down that the commercial entities are hesitant to commit without knowing what the tax situation will be,” Reed said.
Residential solar installation already are tax-exempt in Connecticut, and the legislature last year mulled a similar ruling for commercial installation that never passed because the Senate did have time before the close of session.
Duff and Reed will focus on passing a commercial exemption this year, although there was debate whether the exemption would be mandatory or voluntary.
The energy committee on Tuesday discussed Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven)’s proposal for a mandatory exemption; and Duff and Reed thought that measure would be approved by the committee before March 27.
Duff and Reed said they thought the measure eventually would be approved by the entire legislature, although the cities and towns might try to delay it or switch to a voluntary exemption.
