No Volunteers for Voluntary Payments in Lieu of Taxes

Concord, Massachusetts recently tried a new tack with respect to property taxes and nonprofits: asking nonprofits in their town to voluntarily pay some amount to the town in lieu of taxes.  The result?  No takers so far, according to this article in the Boston Globe.

The nonprofits, predictably, claim that they make in-kind donations that essentially pay for their exempt status.  But echoing my post from yesterday about the Montana tax exemption bill, the Concord selectmen note that donations in kind don't pay for town services enjoyed by the nonprofits or help balance the budget.

In any event, the charities in Concord don't appear to be all that interested in volunteering for voluntary payments.

JDC