New law to shore up state’s marinas

Boat owners in search of offseason storage will now be able to keep their boats in Connecticut marinas for a longer period of time while still being exempt from state sales and use taxes, under a bill signed into law last week.

Backers of the bill say the law will help level the playing field between Connecticut marinas and marinas in neighboring states, which lawmakers say have increasingly been taking away business from their Connecticut counterparts.

The bill extends the length of time that non-commercial boats stored during the offseason are exempt from Connecticut sales and use taxes. Under the new law, which was signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the tax-exemption period runs from Oct. 1 to May 31, whereas it previously ran from Nov. 1 to April 30.

State Sen. Andrew Maynard, a Stonington Democrat, said the law makes Connecticut more competitive versus states like Rhode Island and will bring new clients and businesses to the state.

“The recreational boating industry in Connecticut brings in billions of dollars to the state economy annually, but boaters are avoiding our local marinas out of fear that their mere presence will result in taxation,” Maynard said in a June 28 press release. “By changing our tax policy, we strengthen our local businesses and put ourselves in a competitive posture with other states.”