Lucky Me

Life goes on in Taxachusetts.

As fat cat commercial real estate developers rake in tax savings on their high-rise properties, Boston's homeowners are about to be told to take up the slack with a projected double-digit increase.

"It's like they're letting the big business get away and they're screwing the average person," said John McNamara, who owns a single-family home in West Roxbury.

No, John, it's not LIKE that, it IS that.

Hit with huge tax bill increases a year ago, Hub homeowners are now bracing for new hikes when notices get mailed out next month.

Oh, joy. Rapture. I can hardly wait.

City officials have not finalized the numbers that will set taxes for property owners, but Steve Wintermeier, a Back Bay business consultant who began analyzing city tax and assessing data several years ago when his own taxes nearly doubled, predicts hefty tax hikes are coming for many.

"Based on my calculations, the average (residential) tax bill will go up by about 12 percent," he said.

For the "privilege" of living in Boston.

John Clifford, 78, a retired school teacher, said rising taxes are a budget-buster for him.

"I'm in kind of a bind," said Clifford. "(My taxes) went from $1,200 (a year) to $4,600 in five years." His pension, meanwhile, went up just $30 a year.

Surely, our leaders will lend a sympathetic ear toward Mr. Clifford and his financial predicament. I mean, they ARE the caring, compassionate party of the people after all, right?

Last month, Clifford confronted Mayor Thomas M. Menino at a public event to question him about climbing taxes. Menino told him he was lucky because his property was worth a lot more than it was a few years ago.

Memo to Mayor Menino: Go fuck yourself.

Mr. Clifford is on the verge of being driven from his home, and the best Menino can do is tell him how fortunate he is to own a home in the city. This may seem hard for some people to understand, but a lot of people living in the city, purchased their homes to LIVE in them, not to roll them over after a couple years, or convert them to luxury condos in search of a quick buck.

But, then again, maybe it's just the price to pay to live in a free-market society.

The second factor is that the city uses office rents to calculate commercial assessments. As a result, downtown skyscrapers like One Lincoln that sold for $700 million are assessed at a fraction of their selling price, saving their owners millions of dollars every year, a phenomenon detailed in yesterday's Herald.

Or not.

Daniel J. Shea, who lives on Centre Street with his wife, Ann Marie, said his taxes have jumped almost 50 percent in two years - from $1,640 a year to $2,440. And he doesn't expect it to go down this year.

"Everything's gone up this year," Shea said. "The schoolteachers got a raise. The firefighters got a raise...so I imagine (taxes) will go up."

Local unions benefiting from tax hikes imposed on the people of Boston - I'm shocked! New Hampshire, here I come.