About
Together we, New Haven’s citizens, can make a difference.
New Haven Citizens Action Network (New Haven CAN) is a citizens action group comprised of New Haven taxpayers (which includes both renters and property owners) concerned about rising taxes and lack of fiscal sustainability in City government. NH CAN is united in this primary objective — financial sustainability, transparent government and accountability on the part of the City. We expect our taxes to be fair and our tax dollars spent prudently.
These New Haven taxpayers decided to form the New Haven Citizens Action Network (New Haven CAN) to raise public awareness of these issues. Every citizen of New Haven is encouraged to join and help make New Haven an affordable City in which to live.
This issue directly affects property owners AND tenants. While property owners see a direct impact on their costs, renters pay these same taxes as a portion of rent. With this huge increase landlords will be forced to raise rents significantly.
The property tax is one of the most visible taxes. But there are other increases:
- Fees for building permits to improve our properties have risen.
- Fees for Parks and other City services may be increased.
- Parking and traffic fees will increase and late fees will increase significantly, dissuading even more out-of-towners from doing business in the City.
- Increased taxes on a business’s REAL PROPERTY (such as office furniture, inventory and even their stationary!!!!) (by the way Yale is exempt from these taxes as well as from taxes on property they rent to students).
- Increased taxes on commercial property affects businesses as well as homeowners.
While the City spends hundreds of thousands on Economic Development to bring business to New Haven, these fees and costs adversely impact this development. The City and Yale partnered together to form a new business, the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to help prospective businesses navigate our City’s bureaucracy. That bureaucracy should be eliminated. The current solution adds more expense while leaving the problem in place. NHCAN is hopeful this new EDC will be helpful in navigating and eliminating the bureaucracy.
We believe financial sustainability can solve many of the city’s problems and make New Haven a livable City.
The members of New Haven CAN do not adhere to any other common ideology. This is NOT a political organization. NH CAN welcomes those of every political persuasion (party). Furthermore, as an organization of individuals, NH CAN repsects the rights of each individual to his/her personal views.
NH CAN is united in this primary objective — financial sustainability, transparent government and accountability on the part of the City. We expect our taxes to be fair and our tax dollars spent prudently.
We urge the Mayor and Board of Aldermen to hear our pleas and exercise fiscal restraint and clear-minded oversight of every budget and every decision effecting the budget.
Token spending reductions are drops in the bucket. Some are smoke and mirrors reductions- cuts coupled with matching and offsetting fee increases. Token cuts to the mil rate do not rise to the magnitude of the impending problems.
A radical review of all current and proposed spending programs is required, painful as it must be.
The New Haven Citizens Action Network will provide a close scrutiny of future budget deliberations and continue to initiate position papers on relevant financial and transparency issues.
Each one of us has a stake in fiscal responsibility. Join us today so New Haven CAN.
