Yale has enlisted its community to lobby legislators to kill a bill that scrutinizes a portion of the university’s tax exemptions, leading New Haven State Rep. Roland Lemar (D-New Haven) to accuse the school of waging a misleading campaign based on “inaccurate” and “unsubstantiated scare tactics.”
“The bill would make Connecticut the first state in the country to tax academic property of a non-profit university,” the university’s lead state lobbyist, Associate Vice President for State and Federal Relations Richard Jacob, wrote in a campus-wide email.
“It is quite embarrassing how Yale is engaging on this issue. They’ve sent out numerous inaccurate emails. Their statements to press outlets are just wrong,” Lemar, a sponsor of the bill, responded in an interview. “They’ve chosen … this inaccurate and unsubstantiated scare tactic. I’m shocked that they would stoop to this level.”