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financial justice
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NYC Council Lays Groundwork to Abolish Giuliani-Era Lien Sale
The City Council has passed legislation charting the course for ending New York City’s tax lien sale, and replacing it with an equitable municipal debt collection system that preserves affordable housing and stabilizes Black and brown NYC neighborhoods.
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Testimony Before the NYC Council Committee on Finance, on Reauthorization of the NYC Tax Lien Sale
We urge the Council not to introduce legislation reauthorizing the tax lien sale, and work with community partners, including community land trusts (CLTs), to develop an alternative and equitable system to address property tax arrears and, when appropriate, property disposition. The City’s practice of selling municipal debt to a private, investor-backed trust fuels speculation and…
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Commodifying Our Communities: The Case for Abolishing NYC’s Tax Lien Sale and Prioritizing CLTs in a New Tax Collection and Property Disposition System
This memo provides a brief introduction to CLTs and proposes alternatives to the lien sale that prioritize CLTs, in partnership with mission-driven, nonprofit developers, as both resources for vulnerable homeowners and recipients of foreclosed properties.
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Letter to Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Johnson, Opposing Reauthorization of NYC’s Lien Sale for Property Tax, Water and Other Municipal Debts
[Download PDF] November 18, 2020 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio City Hall New York, NY 10007 NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson City Hall New York, NY 10007 Re: Not Reauthorizing NYC Lien Sale for Property Tax, Water and Other Municipal Debts Dear NYC Mayor de Blasio and Council Speaker Johnson, We write to you today…
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Fortune: What the Unbanked Need From the 2020 Election
Fortune — Over 6% of Americans—20.5 million people—are unbanked, according to the FDIC’s latest data, meaning they have no checking or savings account. Nearly 50 million more are underbanked: They have at least one bank account but still use alternative financial services like payday loans and check cashers outside the banking system.
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(Archive) Stop Trump Administration from Unleashing Predatory Payday Lending in NY
New York has successfully fought to keep predatory payday lending out of our state, as a matter of racial and economic justice. Now, the Trump administration is seeking to gut New York’s longstanding consumer protection laws, and open the door to high-cost lenders that exploit people who are struggling financially.
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Robinson v. New York City Transit Authority et al.
UPDATE: On October 31, 2023, the Court granted final approval of a settlement requiring the NYC Transit Authority to provide access to crucial information so that New Yorkers facing alleged transit debt can meaningfully assert their rights. Read the basic terms of the final settlement here, and read the press release here. In February…
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From Immediate Relief to Transformative Change: Stopping Predatory Debt Collection During the Pandemic and Beyond
Systematic wealth extraction from communities of color hasn’t stopped for the public health crisis caused by COVID-19—and it won’t stop unless we transform our economy.
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Sign-On Letter Urging NYS to Keep Proceeds from the Stock Transfer Tax to Help Maintain Funding for State Services
Protecting New York’s essential workers will be vital to the state’s recovery, yet they are disproportionately burdened by the impact of the pandemic. At a time when the risk is not being shared equally, why should those currently bearing the biggest load of keeping society together take the biggest budgetary hit? Instead of placing the…
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The City: How Old Subway Fines Blocked New Yorkers’ State Tax Refunds
The City — Marc Davis was set to get $168 back from the state in his tax refund this year. And the 53-year-old Bronx resident says that money would have gone a long way to keeping him on his feet.