UPDATED december 2018
Beware Property Taxes Must be Paid on Time
In Massachusetts the timely payment of tax bills is jurisdictional prerequisite to a valid real estate tax appeal to the Appellate Tax Board. There are some very limited exceptions to this rule. Most taxing jurisdictions send out quarterly property tax bills. In those jurisdictions the taxpayer must make each of the four tax payments on time. With limited exceptions, being just one day late or just one dollar short on any payment can deprive a taxpayer of his opportunity to be heard. This draconian rule is unique to Massachusetts and only applies to real estate tax appeals and not appeals related to any other type of tax. This is just one of the very many ways to lose a property tax appeal. Many think that the taxpayers' right of appeal should not be so fragile as a tax appeal is a fundamental right of redress against one of the government's most powerful actions.
David G. Saliba
Saliba & Saliba
American Property Tax Counsel (APTC)
