Businesses in Worcester Owe More than $2 Million in Delinquent Property Taxes

Monday, September 14, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

More than 300 businesses in Worcester owe the city nearly $2.2 million in delinquent property tax payments.

Ranging from years between 1990 to 2015, businesses owe from as little as twenty dollars to nearly $200,000 for a single year.

"Year after year without fail, we continue to raise taxes to meet our growing expenses due to poor financial oversight. Just last month $3.4 million was determined to be "lost" as a result of a lack of oversight of the CDCs as determined by an audit.From top to bottom, the city needs a complete review of its financial management," said City Councilor Michael Gaffney. "We cannot survive, no family can survive, without watching our finances. We need accept that audits are necessary and aggressively pursue our debts with all the force of law we have available. For far too long we have treated our citizens as debtors to our city while letting the real debtors off the hook."

A review of tax documents provided by the City of Worcester which contain real estate taxes outstanding for fiscal years 2015 and prior, current as of September 4, 2015, shows that One Merc LLC, owners of the downtown parking garage at 51 Foster Street owe more than $360,000 in property taxes to the city.

The garage, which across from the DCU Center and next to Unum (1 Mercantile Street - property also owned by One Merc LLC), is valued at more than $5.7 million. As of September 4, One Merc LLC, based out of University Park, Florida, hadn’t paid their property tax for the past two fiscal years.

According to city records, their last payment in the amount of $18,384.50 came on April 24, 2014.

Many Businesses with Multiple Years of Delinquency

Photo: Matt Wright

GoLocalWorcester’s review of the tax documents found that 40 of the businesses listed owe property taxes for multiple fiscal years.

"We provide tax breaks to big businesses on the backs of our residents and small businesses on the failed theory that it will trickle out , aka trickle down economics, and time and time again, some reward us by not paying for the services they use," said Gaffney.

One notable company is the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) which owes the city over $50,000 in taxes since 2012.

The property owned by the MBTA is at 45 Shrewsbury Street (located just beyond Pat’s Service Center).

NU Yankee LLC, which owns property at 158 James Street, hasn’t paid real estate taxes since 2006. They currently owe the city more than $67,000. The property, a garage warehouse, is valued at $230,000.

Popular Restaurants On the List

There are some notable businesses on the list including several popular restaurants and bars.

Of the restaurants, the owner of Worcester favorite Dino's Ristorante owes $13,206.96 for FY2015 - the most of any eating establishment on the list. Other establishments that are delinquent on property taxes as of September 4 include the newly opened Popeye's Chicken, Boston Donuts, Donut Cafe II, Mac's Diner, Diamond Inn and City Lights.

Businesses in Worcester Owe More than $2 Million in Delinquent Property Taxes

Many Businesses with Multiple Years of Delinquency

Popular Restaurants On the List

Related Slideshow: #100 to #1: Business in Worcester That Owe the Most in Delinquent Property Taxes

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