The Massachusetts Senate is planning to roll out a bill related to property taxes in the coming days, but details of the bill remained sketchy even to the Senate president Wednesday morning.

While discussing the Senate’s priorities during an interview on Boston Herald Radio on Wednesday, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg let slip that, “We’re working on a little property tax bill right now … to help our seniors and the disabled and …”

Co-host Jaclyn Cashman pounced before Rosenberg could finish his sentence.

“A little property tax bill?” she asked, skepticism evident in her voice. “You’re stealing, you’re stealing!”

Rosenberg tried to put the issue to rest quickly, but his attempts were in vain.

“No, we are not taking. We’re reforming to provide a little extra help for them,” he said. “So stay tuned on that.”

Cashman and co-host Hillary Chabot pushed Rosenberg to provide greater detail about the bill and whether some people’s property taxes would go up.

“Staff just told me about it yesterday,” the Senate president said, though he later suggested the bill could include “some abatements or change some of the rules to make it easier for various kinds of constituencies who may have problems keeping up with property taxes.”

Chabot said, “They’re increasing your property taxes,” to which Cashman replied, “Yeah, I’m hearing that.”

“No, no, there’s no increase. No, no, no, no,” Rosenberg said. “About four or five senators and their staffs have been working together over the last couple of months and there is a series of smaller property tax tweaks to help people – the disabled, I don’t know, veterans, elders, I don’t know what’s in there.”

He added, “I don’t know the detail of it. I know I whetted your appetite but you’re just going to have to wait a few more days.”

Cashman again implied the Senate wanted to hike taxes and said the Legislature loves “to just take, take, take.”

“Well, we’re not taking, taking, taking,” Rosenberg said. “We’re helping, helping, helping.”

After laughter in the studio subsided and Cashman and Chabot again asked Rosenberg to detail the coming bill, he said, “I actually, honestly, don’t know.

“I probably shouldn’t have said it,” Rosenberg said. “Oh, my staff is going to kill me. I mean, this is not a really huge deal, but we just made it into a huge deal.”

Senate Prepping Property Tax Relief Legislation

by State House News Service time to read: 2 min
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