Assessor: Keep Those Car Records

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by Paul Bass | Jun 21, 2010 11:21 am

(15) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: City Hall

With notices in the mail and a payment deadline looming, maybe Bill O’Brien will hear another round of “Danny Boy” from a grateful taxpayer again this year. More likely he’ll encounter some confused and angry customers. So he has some advice.

Much of the advice has to do with cars. Cars and taxes. And how not to get charged for something you don’t own.

O’Brien is New Haven’s tax assessor. He’s responsible for deciding how much your house or car or business is worth—the basis on which the city government taxes you.

That means he’s often the target of people furious about what they believe are costly mistakes or deliberate screw-ups on their tax bills.

O’Brien said he actually does get flowers occasionally, or even a song, from citizens grateful for his help in ironing out confusion over their bills. (Click on the above video for that story.) But the typical encounter with someone upset about a bill tends more toward the furious.

That outrage tends to manifest itself starting next month in the first floor City Hall office O’Brien runs.

That’s because a new year’s worth of property taxes are due on July 1; people have until Aug. 2 to pay before incurring fines. The city sent out 71,000 bills last week for real estate, personal property, and motor vehicle taxes.

Much of the outrage stems from confusion, O’Brien said. In an effort to head off some of that confusion, O’Brien agreed to field questions from Independent readers about how their taxes work, and to offer tips on how to avoid problems this year.

The outrage started early this year, a tough budget-setting year in New Haven. O’Brien found himself the target of outrage at a May aldermanic hearing. More complaints may surface Monday night as the aldermanic Tax Abatement Committee meets again at City Hall at 6 p.m. The committee has invited citizens to come forward with “any tax-related problems or concerns they encountered with the city.”

At the last hearing, O’Brien heard from local artists whose tax bills shot up this year. Artists who were assessed for having hundreds of dollars worth of equipment in past years suddenly were charged on the basis of owning $5,000 of equipment. Exactly $5,000. Without a visit from an assessor.

Click on the play arrow to watch O’Brien explain why that happened, and why he thinks it’s fair.

When he took over the assessor’s job in 2008, he said, he discovered that small businesses throughout town—not just artists—had low property assessments that hadn’t changed in 15 years. He suspected that some of them must have bought new equipment but not reported it on voluntary forms. He said he used an industry standard evaluation for how much equipment businesses of certain sizes buy or own in a typical year, and came up with the across-the-board new assessments that way.

Artists who claimed they haven’t bought new equipment complained they were treated as guilty until proven innocent, guilty of having purchased but not reported thousands of dollars of property, and being taxed accordingly.

O’Brien responded in an interview that anyone who feels that way can prove it in an appeals process.

That is part of my job, to make sure everybody is paying their fair share,” he said. “If everybody does pay their fair share, everybody pays less.”“

One reader asked if O’Brien could clarify how that appeals process works—and whether people can try again in future years if they’re turned down. Yes they can, O’Brien responded. Click on the play arrow to watch him explain how that works.

Another reader asked O’Brien to explain one of the most inscrutable challenges for any non-math major to understand: how the property revaluation phase-in works, and how much taxpayers should expect values to rise per year. (For starters, in Connecticut, an assessment represents 70 percent of a property’s value, not 100 percent.) Click on the play arrow to watch O’Brien walk through the process.

No other issue compares to motor vehicle tax problems, O’Brien observed. That’s what people more often than not come into his office livid about. Some 100,000 vehicles are owned in New Haven, according to O’Brien.

Sell a house, and usually a lawyer handles the tax changes and paperwork at closing. Sell a car, and you’re usually on your own.

When you sell a car, he advised, try to keep the license plate if you’re buying a new one. That simplifies the tax process. You don’t need to come to his office to change your account. On July 1 you’ll get a bill for your old car’s taxes. In January you’ll receive a “supplemental” bill with an adjustment: Assuming your new car is worth more, you’ll be charged the extra amount you should have been paying for the year. And theoretically, in the future, you’ll be taxed on only the new car.

If you don’t keep the license plates, it gets more complicated. Then you need to come into the office to show paperwork proving you sold the old car.

And showing you got rid of the old registration isn’t enough. Some people may no longer have a car registered, but may continue to own it, stashed in the yard. Show the bill of sale. And show a copy of the front and back of the title. If you’ve sent the car to a junk yard, “make sure [you] get a dated receipt showing the motor vehicle type and the vin [vehicle identification number],” O’Brien advised.

O’Brien added that people have 27 months to do all this from the time a car is sold, and avoid paying any taxes on the car for time beyond the sale date. After 27 months, you’re on the hook.

Another point of confusion: What period of time the tax bill covers. The July 1 bill covers the previous nine months and the next three months.

O’Brien said he recognizes that some people will view him as “the bad guy.”

“That’s just part of my job,” he said. “I’m not typically in a position where I’m going to make people happy.”

However, he said, only “a very small few” end up unhappy with the city tax process in New Haven. “99.9 percent of everyone is most gracious and most cooperative,” he said.

In addition to the woman who sang him “Danny Boy,” some taxpayers have shown their appreciation by bringing him plants or flowers, he said. What kind of flowers? He doesn’t remember, he said. But they were “nice bouquets.”

Paul Bass Photo

Comments

posted by: streever on June 21, 2010 11:38am

This story is like if they interviewed BP about great father’s day gifts in the middle of an oil spill.

posted by: Alphonse Credenza on June 21, 2010 1:31pm

I think it’s wonderful that a New Haven town official other than the Mayor is willing to explain why it’s someone else’s fault.

posted by: nfjanette on June 21, 2010 2:52pm

O’Brien responded in an interview that anyone who feels that way can prove it in an appeals process.

It would be interesting to know if there case history of such a seemingly broad approach to assigned taxation being challenged and won.

posted by: Disgruntled Business Owner on June 21, 2010 3:35pm

The Tax Assessment system in the City of New Haven is an absolute disgrace. As a small business owner in New Haven we have been paying our personal property taxes ON TIME and in full for years. For some strange reason last year Mr. O’Brien deemed it necessary to increase the value of our personal property over $100,000 without ever walking into our establishment.

Like any small business over the years we have purchased some new equipment or replaced old dilapidated equipment. However, it has been no where near $100,000. Unless Behr has been secretly putting money in their paint their is no need for a $100,000 increase. We filed an appeal last year and was turned in ON TIME. We went to our appeal hearing where an independent mediator said we were “all set” and our tax increase will reflect the changes.

What a surprise our appeal was denied because the mediator lost our paperwork. When we went to the assessor’s office to question the denial our file was empty. After countless phone calls Mr. O’Brien finally came to our establishment and looked around and admitted his office had made a mistake. But it was to late to file a motion in court for the appeal so we were stuck paying thousands of dollars in taxes for equipment the city deemed extremely overvalued.

It is a joke of an operation the Tax Assessor’s office runs and I hope the city wakes up and realizes they need to reorganize the department and staff it with people who care about this city and the businesses who get stiffed every year with taxes.

posted by: Anon on June 21, 2010 7:39pm

So, obrien, does that mean Acme junkyard stole my car because they didn’t sign my bill of sale and have never returned my phone calls since they bought my junker for $150 and stuck it in the shredder?

How about I swear out an affidavit that it was sold, plus the receipt from the state receiving my plates, and have my lawyer serve it on your extorting butt while you are out having some fancy dinner with some business person thinking of locating in this boiler room of a city?

is that kind of what you’ve been hearing from tax payers that get by your passive aggressive front counter?

posted by: Doyens on June 21, 2010 8:50pm

Mr. OBrien:
You actually admit never setting foot in a business and use some tax modeling you found elsewhere, and then you overlaid that on citizens and businesses in New Haven. And you’e ok with that lousy performance? I think there should be a class action lawsuit against the City of New Haven.

If you are going to call business owners liars, then at least have the decency to go in their place of business and see - dont do a drive by and expect us the taxpayers, your boss, to be fine with that sorry work product.

posted by: roomforaview on June 21, 2010 9:40pm

Paul got some incredible stuff here. O’Brien actually confirms on the record that he went after all the small businesses in New Haven, not just artists. He assumed they must all be lying and he arbitrarily, sight unseen, attached “industry standard evaluations” to come up with across-the-board assessments. An administration that said an across the board 10% budget cut was crude and unfair, essentially increased people’s taxes in an across-the-board way! He never even took a look at the equipment or premises involved before setting a value! Really stunning abuse of power. Talk about declaring war on taxpayers.

posted by: Maribel Aguilar on June 21, 2010 10:15pm

What I’d really like someone to explain to me is…how in the heck did I rack up a late fee when I just got my first tax notice for this year. IS there some city issued crystal ball that I don’t know about?....

This is thievery…just plain thievery.

posted by: Yesterday, All My Troubles Were So Far Away on June 21, 2010 11:34pm

19 for me and 1 for you, it’s the TAXMAN, oh, oh, it’s the TAXMAN. Remember it from the Beatles??? 1966 or 1967. The Revolver LP I think it was. Well, Good Old Johnny Boy has exceeded Margaret Thatchers expectations and actually spent everybody else’s money so there’s none left. What a way to get in the history books. He’ll go down in history as the man who broke the bank in Monte Carlo, and everywhere else. James Bond, 1968, Golden Balls, if I remember correctly.

posted by: dee on June 22, 2010 12:30am

Section 12-62(f) of the CT State Law governing property tax assessment states:

(3) An assessor, member of an assessor’s staff or person designated by an assessor may, at any time, fully inspect any parcel of improved real property in order to ascertain or verify the accuracy of data listed on the assessor’s property record for such parcel. Except as provided in subdivision (4) of this subsection, the assessor shall fully inspect each such parcel once in every ten assessment years,

The subdivision (4) exemption covers sending a questionnaire to homeowners, then determining the accuracy of the responses, and avoiding the inspections if the accuracy rate is good.

So my question for all you fellow New Haven homeowners is, have you EVER gotten a revaluation questionnaire from the tax assessors office?? And if not, when’s the last time YOUR property was physically inspected for revaluation purposes? I’m 8 years in my current place and it’s never been inspected. I was 10 years in my previous place, and IT was never inspected.

And this matters—if New Haven followed this law, those arbitrary $5k assessments to the artists wouldn’t have happened. And condo owners won’t have their units assessed at the same value as the totally tricked out unit in their complex that sold for $50k more than you could ever hope to get for yours.

posted by: STYLENE on June 22, 2010 6:20am

@STREEVER: COULDN’T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF!!

posted by: Morris Cove Mom on June 22, 2010 9:37am

to Maribel: Yes, I just got mine too, but if you ask City Hall, they will swear they were mailed out by June 1, giving you plenty of time. Ha, liars!

This reminds me of a few years ago, when all of us living in the 06512 zip code did NOT receive any tax bills, as the USPS in East haven LOST all of them. And then all our cars started getting towed out of our own yards and sidewalks. I ended up paying an extra $200 to the city and towing compny, neither which ever admitted any wrongdoing.

This city needs a mutiny, and now. We will not be treated like this any longer. We demand fairness and equality for all, not just the ones who are friends of the city. Down with nepotism, down with the Assessor, down with the Mayor!

Enough is enough.

posted by: Anon on June 23, 2010 8:48am

Morris Cove Mom:

I agree not mailing out notices is not good, but everyone should be aware of state law: Not receiving a tax bill is no excuse under the law for not paying taxes. This is explains why cities and towns could care less if you didn’t receive one.

I’ve known about that law for a long time, so if my tax bill is late I make it a point of going to city hall and dealing with the tax anyway.

Of course, this has nothing to do with paying taxes you don’t owe, which appears to be New Haven’s latest strategy for shoring up Destefano’s massive debt.

posted by: Anderson on June 25, 2010 12:22am

Bill O’Brien’s motto is “We got what it takes to take what you got” I heard him say this in an assessor’s meeting more than once.

posted by: GB on June 25, 2010 5:40pm

“Guilty until proven innocent” is definitely the guiding principle at the Tax Assessor’s office. I sold my car 1 year ago, and I still cannot prove to the Assessor’s satisfaction that I sold it. He is requiring me to get a copy of the new owner’s registration, which is ridiculous—especially since the new owner and I are not in touch. CT state law simply says that someone selling a car must prove to the town assessor’s satisfaction that the car has actually been sold. All the other towns around New Haven requires only the license plate receipt from the DMV as proof that a car has been sold and the plates turned in. Why does New Haven require so much more paperwork of its residents? This is an abuse of power. The Assessor is trying to force people into paying taxes on vehicles they no longer own, because the requirements to satisfy him that you no longer own your car are close to impossible to fulfill.

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