Worcester postpones tax-rate hearing
The Worcester City Council has delayed its planned tax classification hearing to set the city’s fiscal 2015 property tax rates a week due to an error in supporting tax tables.
The data was distributed last week as part of the agenda for last night’s council meeting. Because of the error, all tables, figures and data need to be recalculated, according to a statement from the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
At issue is whether the council should narrow or widen the gap between the residential and commercial-industrial rates that are used to calculate property taxes.
Worcester has a dual tax rate that's seen as burdensome to business, although the City Council narrowed the gap between commercial and residential tax rates in two of the last three years. The current residential rate is $19.54 per $1,000 assessed valuation; the commercial-industrial rate is $30.83.
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has advocated for narrowing the gap. Chamber President and CEO Tim Murray said that he will push for a residential rate of $20.29 and a commercial rate of $31.20. Narrowing the gap in Worcester is especially important, he has argued, as most of the businesses in the community are small or mid-size.
The re-scheduled hearing will be held Tuesday, Dec. 9 at City Hall starting at 7 p.m.
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