Farmer told he owes Massachusetts town $300,000 in back taxes. After 8-year fight, he gets $31,000 refund.
It took eight years
By Mike Sullivan
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BILLERICA, Massachusetts (WBZ) — It took eight years, but a farmer in Massachusetts won his long fight to prove he didn’t owe his town $300,000 in taxes. In fact, when it was all over, they owed Bill Griggs $31,000.
Back in 2022, the town of Billerica claimed Griggs owed roughly $300,000 in back taxes. That’s because Griggs stopped paying his taxes altogether in 2017. He claimed they had been overtaxing his land incorrectly since 1997.
“I want to know what I’m being taxed for,” Griggs said at the time.
Billerica farm taxed too much The town assessed his land at $1.2 million, which he claims was an overassessment. His farm falls under the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program in Massachusetts. It can only be used for agriculture. Griggs says it would take a three-fourths approval vote in the Massachusetts House and Senate for his land to be used for anything other than that.
“That’s what allows it to be the lower rate because it is preserved open land,” explained Griggs. “It became just unsustainable when you tax so heavy. You run out of money.”
“This part of the land and the parking lot was actually being taxed at commercial rates, which was completely incorrect,” said Dina Favreau, a member of Billerica’s Select Board.
Favreau began looking into Griggs’ case in 2022 before she joined the board.
“We voted (Monday) night to accept the corrected evaluations and assessments, and to take the necessary steps to make Mr. Griggs whole,” said Favreau.
Griggs Farm tax refund Griggs overpaid so much that it more than covered the eight years of unpaid tax bills.
“Mr. Griggs is due a $30,951 refund,” said Favreau.
“We will probably purchase some supplies and pay some bills,” said Griggs. “Hopefully we will be able to run some of the fields a little better now.”
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