WSJ: Why Shouldn't Princeton Pay Taxes?

[bluebayou]

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One problem in Boston, where more than 50% of the land area is controlled by non-profits and it therefore exempt from property tax, is that institutional creep leads to many of these groups constantly expanding into the surrounding community, which then removes those properties from the tax rolls, decreasing revenue to the city.

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<p>Since Boston zoning approves those encroachments, no such problem should exist; or if it results in one, Boston City Council is complicit/responsible.</p>

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Boston calculated that non-profits should pay 25% in cash or services of what their property taxes would be if fully taxed, based on what percentage of the city’s budget was determined to be for public services like police, fire, transportation, etc. Almost none come close to this.

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<p>Except that is comparing apples to oranges. Demanding PILOT money from a college that has its own police and its own fire is a shake down, IMO. How many “fires” occur in dorms that the city police is called on to support? And, what “transportation” does the City of Boston provide to college kids? (The students pay full fare for the bus/T lines. If ambulance services, just send the parents a bill.)</p>