Editorial – What Goes Up, Must Come Down – Except Taxes

The saying above was commonly used in the past, usually for things that were thrown into the air or launched into the sky, but apparently it does not apply to taxes in Boston or any other part of Massachusetts. The recent arrival of property tax bills in the mail boxes of homeowners in the city is proof of this. That residents were a bit shell shocked when they saw the increase in how much more they had to pay would be an understatement. In many cases, the increase amounts to hundreds of dollars more added to each quarterly payment. This is a hardship to homeowners but also to tenants as well, who have part of that increase passed onto them.

The question is why? With all the new development and building coming into Boston, including more large companies and corporations, more tax revenue is  coming with it. So why, people are asking, must the burden of tax increases continue to fall on Boston’s working-class families, who are and always have been the back bone of this city and have made it what it is today?

Apparently, Boston is a desirable place that attracts new business and development. So it would make perfect sense that if additional revenue is needed to properly fund the city budget, let it come from them. This would allow the city the chance to finally give homeowners and their tenants who want to be able to afford to continue to live here a break. It’s the right thing to do.