Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-2 — Appointment, powers and duties of Commissioner of Revenue Services. Administrative pronouncements. Contracts for the collection of municipal taxes

# (a)

(1) The Governor shall, in the manner and for the term provided by sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive, appoint a Commissioner of Revenue Services and the Governor shall fill any vacancy occurring during such term as provided by said sections. The commissioner shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, take the oath by law provided for executive and judicial officers and, in the performance of his duties, he shall have power to administer oaths.

(2) The commissioner may prescribe regulations, to be adopted in accordance with chapter 54, and make rulings, not inconsistent with law, to carry into effect the provisions of this title, which regulations or rulings, when reasonably designed to carry out the intents and purposes of this title, shall be prima facie evidence of its proper interpretation. Each regulation shall be assigned a section number corresponding to the section of the general statutes (A) pursuant to which such regulation is authorized or required or (B) with respect to which such regulation pertains for purposes of implementation, procedural details or supplementary interpretation, provided whenever such section number corresponds to a section which does not include the authorization or requirement for such regulation, a reference to the section providing such authorization or requirement shall be included in the text of the regulation.

(3) The commissioner shall publish for distribution all regulations prescribed hereunder and such rulings as appear in the discretion of the commissioner to be of general interest.

(4) The commissioner may require any person who is or appears to be affected by the provisions of any tax law of this state to furnish to the Department of Revenue Services the Social Security account number or numbers issued to such person by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the employer identification number or numbers issued to such person by the Secretary of the Treasury, or both numbers.

(5) No interest, penalty or addition to tax shall be imposed on any tax or installment of estimated tax required to be paid to the Department of Revenue Services with respect to any tax or installment of estimated tax not paid when required to the extent that the Commissioner of Revenue Services determines that, by reason of casualty or disaster, the imposition of such interest, penalty or addition to tax would be against equity and good conscience. The provisions of this subdivision shall not be construed as authorizing suit against the state where the Commissioner of Revenue Services does not determine that the imposition of interest, penalty or addition to tax would be against equity and good conscience and shall not be construed as a waiver of sovereign immunity.

# (b)

Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes to the contrary, the commissioner may issue administrative pronouncements providing his interpretation of the tax laws. Such pronouncements shall not have the force and effect of regulations and shall carry a notice stating that the administrative pronouncements do not have the force and effect of law, provided taxpayers shall be entitled to rely on such pronouncements. For the purpose of this subsection “administrative pronouncement” means a statement by the Commissioner of Revenue Services which provides his interpretation of the tax laws and which is published and made available to the public. The commissioner shall, with respect to any provision of the general statutes which authorizes the issuance of rules, file with the legislative regulation review committee, within six months after the issuance of such rules, regulations which implement the provisions of such rules.

# (c)

The commissioner is authorized to negotiate and contract with the governing authority of any Connecticut municipality for the purpose of arranging for the collection by the commissioner of any taxes for general or special purposes levied by such municipality, of any fines, penalties, costs or fees payable to such municipality for the violation of any lawful regulation or ordinance in furtherance of any general powers as enumerated in section 7-148, or of any charge payable to such municipality for connection with or for the use of a waterworks or sewerage system, provided such taxes, fines, penalties, costs or fees, or charges are (1) unpaid and a period in excess of thirty days has elapsed following the date on which they were due and (2) not the subject of a timely filed administrative appeal or of a timely filed appeal pending before any court of competent jurisdiction. The agreement shall include a fee to be paid by such municipality to said commissioner in an amount that covers fully the cost of collection of such taxes, fines, penalties, costs or fees, or charges by said commissioner. The commissioner shall transmit to the municipality all such taxes, fines, penalties, costs or fees, or charges so collected on behalf of such municipality on or before the date specified in such agreement, less the agreed upon collection fee. Where such an agreement exists, the commissioner may collect, on behalf of such municipality, such taxes, fines, penalties, costs or fees, or charges, and all interest, penalties, fees and other charges added thereto by law, under the provisions of section 12-35 as if such taxes, fines, penalties, costs or fees, or charges due such municipality were “tax due the state”, as such term is defined in said section 12-35, and as if such term expressly included taxes, fines, penalties, costs or fees, or charges due to such municipality. (1949 Rev., S. 1680; 1949, S. 1028d; 1967, P.A. 867; 1969, P.A. 297; P.A. 77-614, S. 139, 610; P.A. 84-422, S. 1, 2; P.A. 90-36; P.A. 93-361, S. 1; P.A. 95-283, S. 31, 68; P.A. 96-114, S. 1, 4; 96-221, S. 13, 25; P.A. 97-309, S. 15, 23; 97-322, S. 7, 9; P.A. 10-32, S. 32; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 122.) History: 1967 act ordered commissioner to require that assessors comply with statutes governing assessment of real and personal property; 1969 act substituted “community correctional center” for “jail”; P.A. 77-614 substituted commissioner of revenue services for tax commissioner, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-422 amended provisions concerning powers of the commissioner by allowing adoption of regulations and rulings to carry into effect any provisions of this title and to require any person affected by the tax laws of the state to furnish such person's social security account number issued by the Secretary of Health and Human Services; P.A. 90-36 added provisions concerning the numbering of regulations; P.A. 93-361 made existing section Subsec. (a) and added a new Subsec. (b) re administrative pronouncements; P.A. 95-283 amended Subsec. (a) to replace board of tax review with board of assessment appeals, effective July 6, 1995; P.A. 96-114 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re commissioner's authority re assessors and tax collection, those powers being transferred to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, effective May 24, 1996; P.A. 96-221 amended Subsec. (a) to divide existing Subsec. into Subdivs. and added new Subdiv. (5) re prohibition of penalties, interest or surcharge in cases of casualty or disaster as determined by commissioner, effective June 4, 1996; P.A. 97-309 added new Subsec. (c) re authorization for commissioner to negotiate and contract with a municipality for the collection of municipal taxes, effective October 1, 1999; P.A. 97-322 changed effective date of Sec. 15 of public act 97-309 from October 1, 1999, to July 1, 1997, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 10-32 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective May 10, 2010; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (b) to delete requirement that commissioner publish notice of intent to adopt and submit regulations to legislative regulation review committee after issuance of administrative pronouncement, effective June 30, 2015. See Secs. 12-1c and 12-1d re transfer of certain functions, powers and duties under this chapter and chapters 203, 204 and 204a to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. At public hearing concerning manner of assessment, commissioner may examine each assessor separately excluding other assessors. 117 C. 301. Cited. 132 C. 533. History discussed. 150 C. 449. Cited. 224 C. 426; 234 C. 614. (Return to ChapterTable of Contents) (Return toList of Chapters) (Return toList of Titles)