Here’s one list you probably don’t want your city/town on…
The Boston Business Journal has published a list of the 20 municipalities with the highest residential tax rates in Massachusetts for 2020. The list includes the 345 communities that have approved new tax rates as of January 3.
The median residential tax rate among these communities is $15.27 per $1,000 in assessed value, down from $15.37 in 2019 and $15.57 in 2018. According to the Boston Business Journal, this decline in rates on the residential side is due, in part, to communities shifting the tax burden to local businesses. As a result, the median commercial rate has risen to $17.50, up from $17.37 the previous year.
Here is the list:
20. Leverett: $20.49
19. Huntington: $20.52
18. Stow: $20.61
17. (Tie) Williamsburg: $20.62
17. (Tie) Ludlow: $20.62
15. Ware: $20.63
14. Maynard: $20.64
13. Lanesborough: $20.68
12. Chester: $20.70
11. East Longmeadow: $20.84
10. Palmer: $21.22
9. Amherst: $21.32
8. Adams: $21.88
7. Pelham: $21.89
6. Heath: $22.25
5. Wilbraham: $22.38
4. Russell: $22.71
3. Greenfield: $22.93
2. Shutesbury: $24.04
1. Longmeadow: $24.21
(PHOTO: Getty Images)