New Haven tax-abatement committee forgives taxes and interest for multiple vehicle/property accounts; asks staff to resolve cross-city billing issues

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The New Haven Tax Abatement Committee voted Oct. 28 to forgive taxes and interest on at least one motor-vehicle tax account and to grant relief on a second account after hearing testimony from residents and city staff.

The committee, chaired by Jose Crespo, took public testimony on six abatement and adjustment requests. Beverly White of 40 Austin Street told the committee she should not be held responsible for vehicle taxes listed only in her late husband’s name. “He’s deceased,” White said, and she told members she no longer has the Equinox that generated the bill. Tax-collector staff told the panel that joint vehicle registrations can make both parties liable for grand-list assessments and that the department’s records showed some bills tied to joint registrations for the 2018–2019 grand list.

Why it matters: the panel is the city’s forum for individual taxpayers to request administrative relief when records, registration history, or intermunicipal payments produce disputed bills. The committee’s actions affect whether residents…