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Thank you Select Board members Jackie McCarthy, Christopher Haley, and Carlo Bacci, for supporting the Reading Business Community in your vote to set the commercial shift for property taxes in town to 1.1 for 2024.
It’s unfortunately ignorant that (non-business owner) neighbors are pitted against their (business owner) neighbors. The “dramatic difference” in the change in residential versus commercial tax bills is more reflective of the continued rising house values in Reading; meanwhile, our town has drastically lost commercial businesses, and in the current economic climate, it stands to lose more.
It is alarmingly ignorant to support a greater tax burden on businesses because it’s “just an expense” and believing businesses received a reprieve during the pandemic and now “things have long since returned to normal,” so let’s tax them at a higher rate. The pandemic cultivated online shopping habits people are not willing to change. And without a draw to the Reading community, businesses are relocating or simply closing their doors. As a business owner, I know firsthand the challenges we’re facing, all of our expenses have increased, and we have certainly not returned to normal. Businesses can only absorb so much, which means oftentimes higher costs are passed on to consumers, just look at your food and energy costs because those aren’t coming down anytime soon.
Erin Calvo-Bacci
Main Street
