Hey, there! Log in / Register
City of Boston real-estate tax is due as scheduled
By Stephen of Roxbury on Sat, 01/02/2021 - 5:38pm
I received my property tax due notice today in the USPS mail. An item for the Community Preservation Act included in the bill. "...1% property tax-based surcharge on residential and business property tax bills, beginning in July 2017."
https://www.boston.gov/community-preservation-act
I paid it at invoicecloud.com.
Your Accounts at a glance
I want to...
Pay my invoices
Invoice Date Due On Balance Due
1/1/2021 2/1/2021 $nnn.nn
I paid out of a deposit account. Charge card users pay a 2.75% transaction fee.
"* Service fees are assessed by Invoice Cloud, a third-party service provider contracted by the City of Boston, for processing online payments. Payments made by debit or credit card are assessed a nonrefundable service fee of 2.75% of the total payment amount ($1.00 minimum). For more information please call (617) 635-4000.
Service fees are non-refundable. If you think there is an error on the Credit/Debit Card, ACH or Service Fee charge, please contact Invoice Cloud Customer Service at 877-256-8330, Option 2."
Something to think about as there is a clamor to cancel the rent, and suspend evictions.
Ah, Boston of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...Bright From the Start! [I feel queasy.]
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
There'll be another quarterly payment 05/03/2021
Notice at the beginning of April of a payment due by 05/03/2021...
"If your payments are not made by their due dates, interest at the rate of 14% will be charged on the amount of the payment that is unpaid and overdue."
Woe to anyone who overlooks an excise payment(on car) due date. The infamous Demand Payment fee is/was $5 added to the outstanding balance. I feel the pain in my pocketbook.
Something to think about as
Alright, so where are tenants who have been unemployed through no fault of their own going to get their back rent money from?
Do you own your property free and clear?
For residential properties, a vast majority of people have their property taxes paid as part of their mortgage. If Boston was to waive the 1% tax, people wouldn't see this saving reflected in their mortgage payment since it's only recalculated once a year.
Also, The city isn't going to foreclosure on someone behind on their tax payments. At most they'll put a lien on the property. It would take years and years before they moved to take ownership. This is unlike someone who rents who can be evicted after a few months.
For the credit card fee, why should the city (taxpayers) cover the processing for people who can't be bothered to write a check? It's not as if credit cards are free for the city.
If the city was to lower property taxes, it's a benefit that would largely go to the wealthy. Making the T free (yes, not a city decision) would make much more sense than lowering vehicle excise taxes. And excise taxes are set by the state anyway.
I would agree the city should be willing to waive late fees, if the payer can prove hardship.
It's slightly more than a 1% tax...
It's a 1.067% tax on the city-assessed value of the residential property ($10.67 charged per every $1000 for the year 2021), plus a 1% surcharge for CPA.
Nonetheless, the idea is that if renters are able to defer payments without interest due to COVID-related legislation, homeowners (and landlords, particularly small ones) should also be able to defer tax payments to the government without interest. Yes, it would take years before the city moves to take ownership, but it's the principle of paying/not paying interest that matters -- why shouldn't both owners and renters be treated equally during a time of global hardship?
ACH fee
If you have a credit or debit card you probably have a bank account. So just pay the property tax by ACH (electronic check) instead which has a fee about the same as the price of a stamp you would use to mail in a real check. No credit card rewards if you care about that kind of thing but you still come out ahead.
Straight from from boston.gov
In November 2016, Boston voters approved the Community Preservation Act (CPA) by voting “yes” on Ballot Question 5. By adopting the CPA, the City has created a Community Preservation Fund. The City finances this fund in part by a 1% property tax-based surcharge on residential and business property tax bills, beginning in July 2017.
The City will use this revenue to fund the following types of initiatives consistent with CPA guidelines:
affordable housing
historic preservation
open space, and
public recreation.
Check that
Our ancestors were the ones who were merely bothered by having to write a check. Modern day humans are burdened having to write a check.
Funny how some of my utilities pay me 10 dollars a month if I promise not to send them any more damn checks. Check processing appears more expensive than electronic payment.
14% interest might have made
14% interest might have made sense in 1980. not today.
APR
Given that 14% is pretty common across the state it might be set by the Commonwealth and not the city. I'm curious if the Mayor could even change it.
Regardless, it's still below what's common for credit cards. These don't track the mortgage market or US Treasury bonds.
Being in debt is expensive.
The local government can't change it
It's set by statute, Chapter 59, Section 57 to be exact. Towns, cities, and districts have no authority to change or waive interest on unpaid real estate taxes. Nor are they allowed to abate taxes for misassessments or overassessments, that's a matter handled at the state level and overseen by the Department of Revenue's Appellate Tax Board, usually via the local Assessing Department, but overseen by the DOR.
CPA
I think we should either halt the 1% CPA Tax or Vote on it again, but this time make sure all Voters know what they are voting for. This 1% is passed along to tenants.
Brace yourselves residential Boston
Marty and Covid have wiped out the commercial tax base in Boston over tge last ten months.
Guess who is going to be taking up the slack?
You could not pay your taxes
And they will charge you 14% interest on the unpaid amount, with the risk that they will eventually foreclose on your property.
Also, you do realize that this whole “cancel the rent” thing is some pie in the sky idea that will never have the force of law, right?
Cancel the mortgages. Student
Cancel the mortgages. Student loans and rent aint enough.
I paid mine by check
It’s a bill, you’re an adult. Stop complaining.
Although I do believe there should be some relief in the form of shit canning 80% of BPS teachers. Cowards!
Wow government services have
Wow government services have to be funded during a pandemic? Who knew?
Bright from the Start
Do you remember that campaign or is it a lucky combination of words?
RMV, application for renewal of registration
MA Registry of Motor Vehicles charges $60 for renewal. $60.00. Not $60+(in)convenience fee, or a percentage based service fee. Just $60, even. Thank you Massachusetts for not making a profit center out of users paying fees unlike the city of Boston.
Governor Weld had eliminated the registration fee, but the Commonwealth relapsed.
Now the RMV hopscotches all around the state looking for the lowest lease for this years RMV local branch office location. Oh, they moved. Where are they now?
Also my experience was marred by a request for a 6 digit code. @pstrApplication???
https://www.mass.gov/topics/vehicle-title-registration
https://www.mass.gov/how-to/renew-your-vehicle-or-trailer-registration
>>>Clicking "Continue as a guest individual (Plate number and type required)" on this page URL: https://atlas-myrmv.massdot.state.ma.us/myrmv/_/ got the ball rolling without needing a 6 digit code from an authenticator app. Yes, that vague: authenticator app.