Jan 2, 2007 6:28 pm US/Eastern
MA Property Taxes Spike, Bigger Tax Bills Expected
by Ron Sanders
WORCESTER (CBS4) ―
This week, many homeowners will be getting a much bigger tax bill in the mail. Property taxes for 2007 have spiked an average of 5.3 percent across the state, according to the Boston Globe -- that's an annual tax bill of about $4,000.
Angelina Larose lives in Worcester where the average tax bill for a single-family home is about $3,000, less than the statewide average, but a four percent rise from last year. "With raising two kids, any increase in a bill is a hardship."
The survey by The Boston Globe finds a nearly 50 percent rise in average single-family home tax bills since the year 2000. Shrewsbury is seeing a modest increase in tax bills of less than 3 percent; but its property valuation increase is about 7 percent, and a lot of cities and towns are reassessing to meet rising costs, such as health care.
Robert Ellia is education director of the state assessors association and chairs Shrewsbury's board of assessors. "Don't shoot the messenger," said Ellia. "The values are what the market says they are and we just reflect what's on the market."
Realtor Dave Stead knows the market. He says many people call to say their tax bill's too high, that their valuation must be wrong. "They call frequently, looking for comparables and looking for me to pull information together for them. But, generally, they don't have any success in getting their bills reduced."
But Angelina Larose senses something here is altogether wrong. "Life is expensive and everything should be kept under control so that we can offer our children the opportunities they need to be successful."
While people such as Angelina Larose and her family are looking for relief from rising property tax bills, their eyes will be on the new governor after Thursday to see how he makes good on his campaign commitment to provide such relief.
The state highest average single-family home tax bill, according to The Globe, is in Weston at nearly $14,000. The lowest is about $1,000 dollars in the town of Florida.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments