New Bedford property taxes to be highest in 16+ years

November 24, 2015 7:25 pm

By Rebecca Turco

rturco@abc6.com

Outcry Tuesday night from New Bedford business owners following a City Council vote to up their property taxes net year.

The tax hike is the highest the city has seen in more than 16 years. Many business owners tell ABC6 they aren’t happy about it, especially those struggling enough as it is.

The tax rate is going up more than a dollar next fiscal year to $35.83 per thousand dollars, meaning the average commercial property valued at $400,000 will have to shell out around $1,300 more.

"Small business isn’t a piggy bank. We’re people trying to make a living, to feed our children, to pay for dance lessons, to pay for college educations," says Edward Pacheco of Places To Go Transportation. "Having an increase this high? It hurts. It hurts a lot," he says.

The seven to four council vote places the highest tax burden possible on businesses and the lowest on homeowners. Next year’s tax levy is $7.6 million more than now, due, in part, to increasing healthcare costs and fire union contract changes.

City Officials say their trend has been to shift less of the burden toward homeowners. Something Chamber of Commerce President, Rick Kidder, disagrees with.

"This can have a chilling effect on business in New Bedford," says Kidder. "Knowing that our taxes are relatively high here, how can we use that to some degree to our advantage to apply some of those resources to help our businesses, to bring our businesses back and to bring new businesses to our city," he says.

As for homeowners, they’ll see a property tax increase of 76 cents. City Officials say that’s the lowest price they could make it.