Posted on 04/13/2026 4:02:39 PM PDT by CFW
A quiet western Massachusetts town is being torn apart by a proposed 50% property tax hike — with neighbors stealing yard signs from one another and some residents warning they could be forced to sell their homes.
Residents of South Hadley, Mass., head to the polls Tuesday to vote on proposals to close the local budget gap.
One would raise $11 million for the town and hike average property tax bills by about $1,700 per year, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The more modest proposal would generate a cool $9 million, increasing average property tax bills by roughly $1,400.
[snip]
Funds from the higher taxes would close a $3 million budget gap and pay for public schools, among other purposes.
Officials say the oft-cited “50% increase” reflects the town’s projected growth in its overall tax levy over five years under the higher option — not necessarily a single-year spike — and actual bills could vary depending on how much of that capacity the town ultimately uses.
Massachusetts already ranks among the most expensive states in the US for property taxes, with homeowners paying an average of $7,900 per year — trailing only a handful of Northeastern states like New Jersey and Connecticut.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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“”””A single-family home valued at about $417,000 could see its annual property taxes spike from the current level of $5,639 to $7,082, under the $9 million plan.”””
Is $417,000 MARKET VALUE or TAX ASSESSED VALUE?
It makes a big difference. If the $417,000 is the market value, then the current property tax of $5639 is pretty high.
East coast useful idiots hiring communist color revolutionaries to steal their money and do bad things with it.
love it!
Not mentioned in the story is whether or not Trump has cut off grant money to Mass. cities and thus no more scamming the Feds for funding local projects.
“The solution is always to raise taxes, never to cut spending. Why? “
You are dealing with Democrats, why do you expect rationality?
I haven’t worked in years and I have to cut
a check to the IRS for over $5,500 this week.
Why is that?
I pay $17,500+ per year in property taxes on my home and less than an acre of land in North Carolina. I paid $500K for it about a dozen years ago. Small homes on matchbox size lots are now selling for over a million next door... I’m considering selling and purchasing another farm. Taxes and prices are crazy.
No talk of cutting government expenditures? Or weeding out waste and fraud?
600 to 800 a month just to be allowed on your own property? You consider that normal?
An underfunded pension plan occurs when a defined benefit plan’s promised future liabilities to retirees exceed its current assets. Caused by investment losses, low interest rates, or inadequate contributions, this creates “pension debt”. It risks reduced employee benefits, higher contributions, or taxpayer bailouts. (50% tax hike is a “higher contribution” and a “taxpayer bailout”)
“No talk of cutting government expenditures? Or weeding out waste and fraud?”
Cutting expenditures or fraud and waste is never an option.
My property tax is LOCKED at under a thousand dollars and I built this house 22 years ago on a dead end off of a dead end....Paid cash and with help built it myself. I was formerly raised and educated in Massachusetts...The state is long gone and devolving into a liberal cesspool of welfare and crime....they messed up a once beautiful state. THEY = DEMS/MOONBATS/LIBERALS
That’s about what we did. We are on a dead end dirt road then down a long driveway. We built our house in the mid-80s, working at night and on the weekends. The only assistance we had was by occasional family members and friends. Our property taxes were stable for the first ~30 years, but over the past six years or so, they’ve been increasing by quite a bit.
Raise the right taxes. LIbs think they can tax anything as much as they want? So make new taxes specifically on public employee pensions, which those unions have been conspiring with government to increase and underfund for years. Private pensions, including private union ones, haven’t had the same conspiracy so don’t get taxed. Make them progressive so the low levels don’t get hit hard, but the rich big public union staffers get their own medicine.
Is it still the “Asparagus Capitol of the World”?
“Those rates are not that high if it is for both local and school taxes.”
From the article:
“increasing average property tax bills by roughly $1,400.”
I suppose it’s all relative, but just for information I pay $250 A YEAR. So, yeah, seems a little high to me.
Close your pieholes and pay it massholes. You get what you vote for.
And for illegal’s welfare?
Defund public education NOW!
We have to burn the village to save it.
Here the law allows my property tax to be locked when I hit 65....I just can’t imagine some of the taxes some Freepers endure. Criminal is what it is and I would reside on a piece of land with a well and power pole if push came to shove ...its not that difficult, put a steel building up and say its for boat storage and make a comfy condo in the back....(a friend I know did that and saved a FORTUNE.)
I hope they pass it!
Voting next election will be do clear.
Here in Ohio there is a proposal to vote on a constitutional amendment to end property taxes. TPTB are shaking in their boots.
In our school district, they have tried and failed to get aRE tax levy increase so they found a glitch in a prior levy that would double taxes here. The local tax board rejected the glitch. The state board approved it. Here we go…
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