The National Taxpayers Advocate has agreed to intercede on behalf of homeowners with crumbling concrete foundations in Connecticut, federal officials say.
U.S. Reps. John B. Larson, D-1st District, and Joseph Courtney, D-2nd District, announced Friday that federal tax relief has been requested for homeowners affected by the problem that has been pervasive among eastern Connecticut communities.
National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson spoke at a federal Ways & Means Oversight subcommittee hearing on Friday, relaying her support.
Larson and Courtney say Olsen’s office has submitted a request to the IRS “urging them to consider priority guidance on how Connecticut homeowners harmed by crumbling foundations may apply for federal tax relief.”
The two lawmakers said they were pleased by the news, but cautioned that the IRS must still agree to issue guidance before homeowners can apply for some relief.
“Because this path may not help all affected residents, it will take continued, coordinated efforts with our state and local partners to ensure that homeowners know all their options for pursuing assistance,” Larson and Courtney said through a press release.
Larson and Courtney also said that while over 500 formal complaints have been registered with the state’s Department of Consumer Protection, “the reach and impact of this problem is much wider.”
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said that there is the potential that more than 34,000 structures could contain pyrrhotite-laden concrete and the problem could cost between $100 million and $1 billion to fix.
The Capitol Region Council of Governments estimates the average cost of repairs is between $100,000 and $200,000 per structure.