OpEd: charging residents of mobile homes in Chelmsford

An interesting OpEd describes a political battle over whether the homes in a Chelmsford Mobile Home Park are truly mobile. By law, trailers have been charged a sales tax at purchase and are not required to pay property tax. Chelmsford has been trying to come up with additional revenue sources and drastically increased the property value of the land at the park, based on the argument that the mobile homes are permanently located there and adding value to the property. As a result, the landowner's taxes went up, so he passed along the cost to the residents - at a rate of $40/month. The author writes that $40 is a substantial amount for the many families at the park who are living on the edge. It sure is!