Word: watertowne
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Harvard’s brief stint as a landlord in Watertown has, so far, been less than successful...
There has also never been a better time for a carillon at Harvard. Specifically, we have so much more room now (much to the distaste of Allston and Watertown residents), room that could be effectively used for a nice park, with benches and shrubs, perhaps some nice wildflowers and, of course, a carillon tower (with an appropriately sized carillon inside). Just think of the Sunday afternoon recitals in May. Such a park would be a benefit to the surrounding community and a boon to Harvard as well. A carillon here would do much to enrich an already wealthy cultural smorgasbord...
It’s easy to sympathize with the Watertown schoolchildren whose education might suffer due to the Arsenal purchase. It’s not their fault that the city’s tax base is small. But at the same time, it’s hard to see why Harvard should be obliged to pay what it doesn’t owe. The tax laws of the U.S. government and each of the 50 states give tax-exempt status to many non-profits. They do so because we consider charitable, educational, scientific or religious institutions to serve a valid...
...problem is that the benefits that Harvard produces are benefits to the nation and to the world as a whole, not necessarily to Watertown. The residents don’t have anything against universities; they just don’t want to pay to host one. The decision to exempt Harvard from taxation was made by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which does not bear evenly the cost of its decision. Thus, cities like Watertown have reason to adopt an attitude of “Not In My Backyard,” something more frequently encountered in discussions of nuclear plants...
...main result of the conflict is a bill sponsored by Rep. Rachel Kaprielian (D-Watertown) that would allow a city to collect property taxes when a non-profit purchases more than 2.5 percent of the tax base. The bill would discourage the founding of large charitable institutions in Massachusetts or the expansion of old ones, and all in all it’s a terrible idea. What the state government should be considering instead is a bill that would reimburse municipalities for the losses that large tax-exempt institutions create. That way, the reward for charitable work is preserved without...