Resident warns Concord real-estate tax exemption may raise rents and hurt low‑income renters
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Summary
Public commenter Gwen Acton told the Select Board the residential real‑estate tax exemption adopted in 2023 shifts tax burdens to rental units and could be regressive, citing MIT Center for Real Estate findings and a Lexington analysis; she urged the board not to reinstate the exemption this year.
At the Select Board’s Oct. 21 meeting, Gwen Acton of Elm Street used the public‑comment period to urge the board not to reinstate the town’s residential real‑estate tax exemption this year. Acton said the exemption, adopted last year with the goal of improving affordability for homeowners, has had the unintended effect of shifting tax burdens onto rental units that are more likely to be occupied by lower‑income residents.
Acton cited research she said was conducted by the MIT Center for Real Estate, which she summarized as finding that 80–90% of municipal tax increases are eventually passed through to tenants. She also referenced a Lexington study that concluded a real‑estate tax exemption may appear progressive if analysis is restricted to owner‑occupied single‑family homes but is not progressive when all residential property types and occupants are considered (Acton identified page 54 as the relevant page).
Acton urged the board to consider these findings and seek alternative ways to improve affordability rather than reinstating the exemption this year.
Board action: The board received the comment; no formal action was taken during the meeting.
Source: Public comment at Town of Concord Select Board meeting, Oct. 21, 2024.
