Personal Property Tax

Mass. General Laws Chapter 59, Section 18
Personal Property is tangible property other than Real Estate. Only tangible property, such as machinery, furniture, pipelines, wires, poles, etc. are taxable personal property. This is not limited to individuals. It includes property of partnerships, trust, corporations, estates, etc. It is assessed separately from Real Estate.

Personal property is taxable in the municipality where it is situated on January 1st of that year or in the town which the owner is an inhabitant on January 1st for items not permanently situated in a town, such as construction equipment. There are some exemptions to the personal property tax. For more information on that, contact the Newbury Assessors Office.

Each taxpayer with taxable personal property must submit a true list of all non-exempt personal estate by March 1st of each year.

Businesses must file a Form 2 and people with second homes must file a Form 2HF. Forms are available in the Assessors Office.

If a form is not filed with the Assessors by March 1st, the Assessors will have to estimate the value of your personal property. If the form is filed late, the Assessors can abate it if the person assessed shows a reasonable excuse for failure to file in a timely manner.