The City Of Nashua Gives Tax Free Breaks To Some Residents

The motto of the Department of Revenue for the State of New Hampshire “is to fairly and efficiently administer the tax laws of the State of New Hampshire, collecting the proper amount of taxes due, incurring the least cost to the taxpayers, in a manner that merits the highest degree of public confidence in our integrity.”

Nashua is not following the tax laws, and the DRA is not providing the oversight to administer these laws.

What is the problem? Nashua and the DRA are not collecting outstanding property taxes from property owners who repeatedly violate the law. Mayor Donchess actually confirmed this at his recent public coffee, stating that residential property owners are not subject to any legal action from the City if they do not pay their taxes.

City and elected officials are on a spending and bonding spree. They seem unaware of the shift in the financial climate for many of us. As of May 2022, there is a balance of $9.45 million of uncollected taxes, many unpaid properties going back 10 years or more. The data from the June 2022 tax bills are not included. It is easy to understand how someone can get behind or fail to pay for a year or maybe two, but to go 10-15 years without paying and the City turning a blind eye, is corruption.

The July 2023 budget was recently approved by the Board of Alderman with a 303,000,000 appropriated budget, that is, the money needed to be raised by tax dollars. Ten million dollars may seem like a drop in the bucket; it is not and the law requires we all pay our fair share.

The City hired a Right to Know full time attorney and a Right to Know paralegal to handle a pretty low volume of citizen information requests. How about hiring legal assistance to collect unpaid taxes? This is a question I raised during the Budget process and received no response.

Whenever the City of Nashua is questioned about the outstanding property taxes, the city’s first response is always that we have contamination properties but the records show a different story. The contamination property taxes are $1,100,361. The City does not want to assume ownership of contaminated properties.

In the last election cycle former Aldermen Harriet Gathright knew that the city was not collecting on property taxes and tried to get away without paying her property taxes for three years. She was called out during her re-election campaign and lost her Ward Seat. Seated Aldermen must be good stewards of our money and the tax laws.

In reviewing just some of the open accounts:

1) East Hollis building is a warehouse and has an outstanding balance of $351,674 in property taxes through 2021 and has not paid any property taxes since 2006. Why has the city done nothing to collect these property taxes? This property is only assessed for $412,000.

2) Jackson St building is a warehouse and has an outstanding balance of $454,919.63 through 2021 and has not paid any property taxes since 2002. This building is currently being assessed at $368,200. This owner enjoys a property tax free holiday every year!

3) Tanglewood neighborhood has a residential property that owes $403,803.35 in property taxes through 2021 and has not paid since 2010. This property however is currently assessed at $772,500 and will reach the $1 million mark with the new assessments coming out later this year. Perhaps the owner should downsize to a property where they can afford the taxes or simply rent.

4) Mobile homes property taxes owed is $706,041.76. Many properties are not paying taxes. Remember, taxes cover schools, fire, police and public service for your community. Everyone must pay their fair share.

5) Ayer Rd has two residential properties, under the same ownership, that owe $197,841 through 2021in property taxes and have not paid property taxes since 2014. A joke is a joke, right?

6) Perham St is a residential property that owes $105,069.80 through 2021 in property taxes and has not paid since 2009. This property owner also has property on Locke St and is not paying on that property either.

7) Bell St is a residential property that owes $92,125.21 through 2021 in property taxes and has not paid since 2012. Enough is enough.

8) Edgewood is land that owes property taxes of $43,476.66 through 2021 and has not paid property taxes since 2007. This property owner actually owes an apartment building in downtown Nashua and he cannot pay his property taxes on this land. Maybe this property owner should just give the land to the City of Nashua because the current assessment is $59,700.

9) We have one property owner who owns three homes (account #8610, 43354 and 4516) and has a total outstanding bill of $190,705.21 and these bills go back to 2015 to 2021. You do not have to be a very cunning person to know that tax dodging is a permissible offense in Nashua.

Other municipalities use the legal process to collect on outstanding unpaid property taxes. Nashua lets them slide. Senior Citizens in their final years in their homes should consider not paying their taxes, especially those with shrinking bank accounts. The City is happy to wait until you pass to sell the home and collect on the back taxes. In fact, it appears the Mayor prefers this. At his recent coffee, he expounded on the high tax penalty for late payment and the terrific financial opportunity to collect on growing penalties. A corrupt financial investment strategy for the City.

The DRA is very clear on the collection of taxes as you can see below:

TAXPAYER ASSISTANCE – COLLECTION OF TAXES

Failure to pay taxes, penalties or interest when due or assessed, or to comply with the tax laws may result in the following actions:

o Liens may be place upon your real estate, personal property, and property interests including bank accounts, accounts receivable, security interests, and similar items. Also, the lined property may be subject to tax sale.

o Distraint (i.e., notice of seizure of property), may be issued and the seized property sold with the proceeds applied to the balance owed.

o If you have a license from the Department, proceedings may be started to revoke or suspend your license.

o You may be required to post a bond to guarantee payment of taxes collected from others.

o Further court action may be brought against you by the Attorney General.

In checking with the City of Manchester their oldest accounts receivable is 2016 so why does the City of Nashua go back to 2002 on regular property taxes and not enforcing the law to collect the outstanding property taxes. Manchester instills a process based on the law and fairness.

Well Nashua is certainly a “welcoming” City to tax dodgers. It is a perfect place to live if you do not want to pay property taxes. His Honor should stop spending money on wasteful Right to Know legal positions. Put the correct employees in place to start collecting back taxes.

Contact your Alderman and the Mayor (603-589-3260) and express your position on paying property taxes. Check out the list below to see if properties in your neighborhood are not paying their taxes.

—

Laura Colquhoun