Property taxes are going up in 2016, in some places more than others
The average bill in Massachusetts will increase by $206 dollars.
As single-family home values in Massachusetts have increased, so have property taxes.
The Boston Globe analyzed 328 out of the Bay State’s 350 communities to find that the average property tax bill will increase by $206 in 2016.
The average bill in the state for a single-family home is $5,438, while last year it was $5,232.
According to the Globe:
“Statewide, increases range from less than 1 percent in more than a dozen communities to as much as 17 percent in the city of Chelsea; or from as little as $3 in Bridgewater to as much as $825 in Brookline.’’
Boston’s average $15 increase is much lower than surrounding communities. Only 16 municipalities in the state saw the average bill decreasing, the Globe said.
Property taxes are a part of the revenue cities and towns bring in to help fund municipal necessities like education, libraries, transportation, parks, and emergency services. As state aid has declined over the years, municipalities are relying more and more heavily on property taxes for that revenue. But some critics point to an inability to control local government spending as another pressure pushing taxes higher.
Read the full Boston Globe story here to see a town-by-town breakdown of tax increases.
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