I wonder why Bob McMahon [“Providence is Strapped for Cash. Are Tax-Exempt Institutions Doing Enough to Help?” from May 21] didn’t mention churches, synagogues and mosques in his list of non-profits (he did mention the Jewish Community Center)? I would imagine that religious buildings occupy quite a bit of land.
Lee Kossin, East Side
Bob McMahon’s May 21 article on the high Providence property tax burden made worse by all the tax exempt property [(“Providence is Strapped for Cash. Are Tax-Exempt Institutions Doing Enough to Help?”] had a lot of good information. But I also wonder about all the land taken for all the roadway development.
When you see a photo of pre-World War 2 Providence you see a mostly continuous city, and even the sprawling rail yards of the era, privately owned, paid property taxes. Now a photo would show lots of land taken for the expressways and their vast interchanges (Think 95-to-195, 6-to-10, and 6-to-95). They are useful for motorists who want to tear through the city, but though they add to congestion, pollution, and expensive to treat runoff, they don’t pay property taxes.
Another exempt institution, usually ignored as many are uncomfortable questioning rights of religion, are the churches and houses of worship. Do they have a significant amount of exempt property?
Barry Schiller, North Providence
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