My tax bill is higher than last year. I want to file for Real Estate Abatement.

The Assessors office function is to value property at market value for the sales year in review. (FY 2012 reviews calendar year 2010 sales). The abatement process is for contesting valuation based on data errors or disproportionate valuation. Taxes are based on the town budget voted on at town meeting, which determines the tax rate. If values decline and spending rises, then the tax rate will increase to appropriate the correct amount to support the budget. Actual tax bills (3rd and 4th quarter) will almost always be higher than the preliminary bills (1st and 2nd quarter) as the preliminary bills are based on the prior years tax rate and values.