phantom tollbooths in Davis Sq. ...

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

apropos of nothing and not a serious proposal but I was thinking about sales taxes last night, the discussion of tolls on 93 south and something to do with all the border violence going on in the world these days. Suddenly I had this image of tollbooths/checkpoints on the roads entering Davis Sq. Weird but interesting to speculate on.

The growth in popularity of the sq. has brought higher rents and housing prices, higher prices in stores and bars and general gentrification. The city of Somerville and the property owners benefit but the residents don't. Would be interesting to have a toll that went to offset the costs of gentrification to people who actually live here.

Comments

[rollzroix.livejournal.com]

Not to dispute your larger point, but I always like to make a point about Somerville to people who may be renters or have never owned a home in another community. Residential property taxes in Somerville, if you are an owner-occupier, are actually exceptionally LOW. The city grants an exemption to owner-occupiers that basically amounts to the 1st $145,000 or so (I'm not sure exactly what it is this year) of your assessment being tax free. That means if your house is assessed at $345,000, you are only paying taxes on $200,000. The current annual tax for my home in Somerville is actually more than $1,000 LESS than I used to pay in Worcester for my considerably less valuable home there.

I don't know if this applies to condos as well but I assume it does.