By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The city has launched a program to identify and recoup lost tax revenue from out-of-state and unregistered motor vehicles, Mayor Dorinda Borer announced.
Borer said the city has contracted with Capital Tax Recovery of Berlin to scan license plates throughout West Haven to determine if residents have their vehicles registered with the state and have West Haven as their tax city.
The mayor said CTR is working with the assessor’s office to identify potential vehicles and personal property that have been missing from the city’s tax rolls for the past three years.
Assessor Ann Marie Gradoia, who is overseeing the new program, said CTR will send out notifications to motor vehicle owners who have been identified and will give them an opportunity to resolve any issues.
Borer said the number of people driving with out-of-state license plates and without current motor vehicle registrations has increased dramatically in recent years, most notably from surrounding states during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Residents who are paying taxes to another city are not contributing their fair share to the cost of the services West Haven provides, such as education, trash hauling and public safety, to name a few,” Borer said. “That means those who are properly registered here are footing the bill.
“The bottom line is we welcome new residents to our great city and want them to live, work and enjoy everything we have to offer, but you need to pitch in.”
Gradoia said the program is provided at no cost to West Haven, but CTR will receive a percentage of all taxes and interest collected by the city through the company’s contracted investigation. CTR will also receive a $50 fee per vehicle paid by the owner, she said.
The assessment year runs from Oct. 1-Sept. 30.
According to Gradoia, residents who live in West Haven on or before Oct. 1 of each year must have their vehicles registered in the city. Residents have 90 days to transfer vehicles once establishing residency in Connecticut.
Residents should check vehicle registrations to ensure they are up to date, they have the correct address and the tax town code is 156 for West Haven. If any of the information is incorrect, go to https://www.cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/2600/DMV-Change-of-Address-B-58-Form-PDF and fill out a change of address form for an individual registration.
For business vehicles, residents must fill out and return a commercial vehicle change of address form, which is available on the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ website: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dmv/20/29/b58orgpdf.pdf.
Residents who have received a notice from Capital Tax Recovery must contact the company directly by calling 860-826-1100 or visiting https://capitaltaxrecovery.com/. The assessor’s office does not have information why a vehicle was added — please do not call the office.
Residents who can provide proof of residency in another state would be exempt. Anyone who believes a vehicle was added in error must provide CTR with sufficient proof by the deadline on the letter or a bill will be generated.