A Taxing Proposition

When Bay State voters approved Proposition 2 1/2 last November, local politicians knew they would have to find replacement funds somewhere. With nearly 80 private--and tax-exempt--colleges and universities in Massachusetts, it was only natural for revenue-conscious politicians to look at institutions of higher learning as potential sources of income.

But college and university officials don't like that idea. A group of them, including President Bok, went to the State House this week to testify against legislation that would end the exemption from property taxes traditionally granted to private educational institutions.

Bok, several of his peers, and a group of local politicians advocated increasing state aid to communities with high concentrations of tax-exempt property, a proposal made by Northeastern University President Kenneth Ryder and Newton Mayor Theodore Mann.

The University currently pays Cambridge about $2.3 million a year in sewer and water charges, taxes on commercial property, and in-lieu-of-tax payments, Bok said at a press conference before testifying.

He also said that there are "other ways" Harvard can help Cambridge, citing the University's efforts to improve local schools and attract industry to the city.

But Cambridge City Councilor David Sullivan, who helped draft a petition asking the legislature to end the exemptions granted colleges, called Bok's calculations "ridiculous" and said, "We don't tax people on how many services they receive, but how much they can afford to pay."