Who must pay this tax?
All registered business organizations are eligible to pay unless
exempt by state statute for charitable, religious, and non-profit
status.
What is a form of list?
A state required form notifying the Assessor's Office of any all
business equipment, furniture, fixtures and sales inventory for
each year.
Who must file a return?
This form must be filed each year by all individuals, partnerships,
associations, trusts and corporations that own or hold taxable
personal property on January 1, except telephone and telegraph
companies and owners of pipelines that are required to file a
personal property return with the Mass. Dept. of Revenue.
Individuals owning or holding household furnishings and effects not located at their domicile on January 1 must also file State Tax Form 2HF. Literary, temperance, benevolent, charitable or scientific organizations that may be entitled to an exemption must file State Tax Form 3 ABC listing all property they own or hold for those purposes on January 1.
When and where must my return be filed?
Forms of List must be filed by March 1 with the Board of Assessors
in the city or town where the personal property is situated on
January 1. If the property has no situs on January 1, it must be
listed on a Form of List filed with the assessors in the city or
town where you are domiciled (legal residence or place of
business). A Form of List is not considered filed unless it is
complete.
Can I get an extension of the filing deadline?
The Board of Assessors may extend the filing deadline if you can
show a sufficient reason for not filing on time. The latest date
the filing deadline can be extended is 30 days after the tax bills
are mailed for the fiscal year. Requests for an extension must be
made in writing to the assessors.
What is the penalty for failure to file or filing late?
If you do not file a Form of List for the fiscal year, the
assessors cannot grant an abatement if you show a reasonable excuse
for the late filing or the tax assessed is more than 150% of the
amount that would have been assessed if the list had been timely
filed. In that case, only the amount over that percentage can be
abated. You can avoid this penalty by filing on time.
What is the return used for and who has access to it?
The information in the Form of List is used by the Board of
Assessors to determine the taxable or exempt status of your
personal property and, if taxable, its fair market value. You may
also be required to provide the assessors with further information
about the property in writing and asked to permit them to inspect
it. Forms of List are not available to the public for inspection
under the public records law. They are available only to the Board
of Assessors and Mass. Dept. of Revenue for purposes of
administering the tax laws.
Who is eligible for an abatement?
Anyone who feels overvalued or exempt is eligible to file for an
abatement. You must file an abatement form at the Assessor's
Office within 30 days of the first tax bill for that fiscal year.
Should I bring any necessary data with me?
You should bring any information that supports your case.
Are abatement applications public records?
Abatement filings and abatement amounts are public records.
However, individual abatement applications are not public records.
Where can I see a list of the personal property tax rolls?
A list of the Personal Property Tax Roll is available in the
Assessor's Office of the Finance Dept.