If you read the papers at all, you know that there’s a proposal to levy a new tax on high-end home sales on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The goal is to raise funds to pay for affordable housing construction.
I can’t say whether or not this is a good thing.*
What I love though, is the concept.
Since the tax would only be levied on homes over $750,000 on Martha’s Vineyard, and over $2 milion on Nantucket, the vast majority of money will be raised on second-home properties. Meaning, people who don’t live on the islands, full-time. Meaning, people who don’t have the right to vote.
So, basically, the vote will be held among people who won’t be taxed.
I love that idea.
In future news, “Property tax levy passes on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket”.
(* Actually, I can say. It’s a bad idea. There is already a local land conservation tax. And, the Commonwealth has a strong program for building affordable housing. And, a selective tax is offensive, to me.)
