Keep Framingham Affordable
Working to Keep Your | 
|
Every tax is a pay cut. |
|---|
| Framingham board approves tax hike | Friday, December 10, 2004 |
|---|---|
| David McLaughlin 508-626-4338 | Metrowest Daily News |
|
FRAMINGHAM -- Homeowners will be paying an additional $151 in property
taxes on average after selectmen last night settled on the tax burden
to be carried by residential and commercial property owners.
The average single-family tax bill for the coming fiscal year will be $4,129 based on a new tax rate of $11.79 per $1,000 of valuation. The typical single-family home is valued at $350,237, according to information provided by the assessor's office. Selectmen could have slightly reduced the new round of residential bills by shifting a larger share of the tax burden onto commercial and industrial property owners. Board members held off on hitting business owners with the highest tax rate allowed to give them a break and help encourage more business growth in town, they said. Selectman Charlie Sisitsky said the compromise would show that the board was "sympathetic" to both business owners in town as well as residents who struggle to pay their bills. The new tax rate for commercial and industrial properties will be $31.21 per $1,000 of valuation. If selectmen decided to go to the maximum rate, it would have jumped slightly to $31.38. Representatives of the business community asked selectmen before their vote not to go to the maximum rate. "The real estate tax burden is a very significant issue. It can be a hardship for so many small business owners," said Framingham attorney Paul Galvani. MetroWest Chamber of Commerce president Ted Welte asked the board to reduce the tax burden on business owners even further than it did. Welte pointed to a chart provided by the assessor's office that showed a steady decline in new construction for commercial property, a trend he said may continue for the next few years. He called the information "a disturbing indication of where we are in the economy." Commercial values have remained stagnant for several years, according to the assessor's office, while residential values continue to climb. "As everyone knows, the residential market has skyrocketed," said chief assessor Michael Flynn. |
|
Send comments to:
hjw2001@rcn.com
|
|