| Messages from the Tax Collector |
Attention Residents and Taxpayers:
The 2026 Tax Rates have been calculated, and were approved tonight by the Selectboard. Tax bills will be printed on Thursday, July 29th, and you should be receiving them shortly after.
The tax rates are as follows:
General 0.4599
Highway 0.2570
Library 0.0840
Special Appropriations 0.0182
South Canaan Cemetery Fence 0.0100
Total Municipal Tax Rate 0.8291
Homestead Education Rate 1.7523
Nonhomestead Education Rate 1.5334
Total Homestead Tax Rate 2.5814
Total Nonhomestead Tax Rate 2.3625
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| 2026 Canaan Property Tax Rates |
2026 Homestead Rate
$2.5814
Total Municipal: $0.8291
Total Education: $1.7523
| 2026 Non-Homestead Rate
$2.3625
Total Municipal: $0.8291
Total Education: $1.5334
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| Property Tax Calculation Spreadsheet |
Municipal Tax: January 1, 20XX to December 31, 20XX
Education Tax: July 1, 20XX to June 30, 20XY
Septage Tax: January 1, 20XX to December 31, 20XX
All Tax Bills (Municipal and Education (One Bill) & Septage (Separate Bill) are mailed out on or around August 1st of every year. These bills become due on October 1st of every year. If October 1st falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal Holiday the due date will be move until the next business day. A grace period of five (5) business days will be granted to every property owner. If payment, in full, is not received by the due date or by the grace period a penalty of 8% will be charged on the remainder. An additional 1% will be charged upon delinqueny and every month subsequent until December. At this point, the interest charge will be raised to 1.5% every month.
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| Water, Sewer, and Tax Abatements |
Abatement is the process for relieving taxpayers from the burden of paying property taxes, water charges, sewer charges, interest, and/or collection fees. Abatement is granted when the request is authorized by statute and when the board of abatement (Town Treasurer, Selectboard, and Justices of the Peace), in its discretion, agrees that the request is reasonable and proper. The board of abatement has the authority to abate town taxes and statewide education property taxes.
The Board is never required to grant a particular abatement. The Board may only grant abatement for reasons permitted in 24 V.S.A. § 1535.
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- Taxes or charges of persons who have died insolvent (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(l)).
- Taxes or charges of persons who have moved out of state (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(2)).
- Taxes or charges of persons who are unable to pay their taxes or charges, interest, and collection fees (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(3)).
- taxes in which there is a clear or obvious error or a mistake of the listers; (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(4)).
- Taxes or charges upon real or personal property lost or destroyed during the tax year (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(5)).
- The exemption amount available under 32 V.S.A. § 3802(11) to persons otherwise eligible for exemption who file a claim on or after May 1 but before October 1 due to the claimant’s sickness or disability or other good cause as determined by the board of abatement; but that exemption amount shall be reduced by 20 percent of the total exemption for each month or portion of a month the claim is late filed (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(6)).
- Taxes or charges upon a mobile home moved from the town during the tax year as a result of a change in use of the mobile home park land or parts thereof or closure of the mobile home park in which the mobile home was sited, pursuant to 10 V.S.A. § 6237 (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(9)).
- Sewer, water, utility, or service charges caused by circumstances that were difficult to foresee or outside of the person’s control (24 V.S.A. § 1535(a)(10)).
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Following receipt of an abatement request, the Board of Abatement will notify the applicant of the date, time, and place of their hearing. At the hearing, they will be responsible for supplying evidence to support their abatement request. If they or their representative fail to appear at the hearing, the Board's decision will be based solely on the information provided by them in this form and any accompanying documentation. The Board may choose to abate all or part of the taxes, water charges, sewer charges, interest, and/or penalties for which they have requested abatement but is under no obligation to grant any abatement request. They will be notified in writing of the Board's decision. If they are not satisfied with the decision of the Board of Abatement they may appeal the decision to Superior Court in accordance with Rule 75 of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure.
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Remember, the Board of Abatement can only consider requests that fall within the categories of statutory reasons for abatement. The Board’s authority should not be confused with that of the Board of Civil Authority in its tax appeal role, where issues of comparability and equity are involved. A decision of the Board of Abatement does not affect the tax assessment (valuation) for the property. If an applicant disagrees with the tax assessment for their property, they must file a grievance with the Board of Listers within the timeframe provided by 32 V.S.A. § 4111.
Nor should you assume that the Board of Abatement has any authority to relieve you of a tax bill simply because you do not like the amount of taxes owed.
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Remember, the Board of Abatement can only consider requests that fall within the categories of statutory reasons for abatement. The Board’s authority should not be confused with that of the Board of Civil Authority in its tax appeal role, where issues of comparability and equity are involved. A decision of the Board of Abatement does not affect the tax assessment (valuation) for the property. If an applicant disagrees with the tax assessment for their property, they must file a grievance with the Board of Listers within the timeframe provided by 32 V.S.A. § 4111.
Nor should you assume that the Board of Abatement has any authority to relieve you of a tax bill simply because you do not like the amount of taxes owed.
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| Canaan Municipal Tax Rates 2016-2026 |
Click on link below for income tax forms including Homestead Declarations that must be filed annually
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