Property Tax Case Reveals IRS Probe
Expert Appraiser for Town Discloses Internal Revenue Service Investigation of Herring Creek Farm Transaction
By IAN FEIN
BOSTON - The expert appraiser hired by West Tisbury assessors revealed during cross-examination this week that the federal Internal Revenue Service is investigating the 2001 Herring Creek Farm real estate transaction in Edgartown and an ensuing charitable tax deduction that was based largely on his appraisal of the property.
The Nature Conservancy called it a globally rare community type.
The Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program said it is one of the most critical habitats to protect in all of New England.
Many Island residents know it best as a secret late-night skinny-dipping spot.
Town Appraiser Puts High Price on Land
West Tisbury Expert Takes the Stand in Protracted Graham Tax Hearing; Values Property at $64.5 Million
By IAN FEIN
An expert real estate appraiser hired by West Tisbury assessors last year estimated the total value of 235 acres owned by town resident William W. Graham at $64.5 million, significantly higher than the town's original assessments.
An eight-year legal battle over property rights in Aquinnah resurfaced last week when the Massachusetts Court of Appeals reversed a 2001 state land
MVC Chairman Blazes Housing Trail
By IAN FEIN
A pending proposal by the chairman of the Martha's Vineyard Commission to carve a one-acre affordable housing lot off her West Tisbury property has drawn criticism from one of the Island's most vocal affordable housing advocates who lives next door.
Planning board members, who are now considering the proposal, in turn criticized the housing advocate last month for what they suggested was a hypocritical opposition.
Fraud Charged in Tax Hearing
Attorneys for William W. Graham File Motion to Exclude Testimony of Key Witnesses for Town, Cite Ongoing Contradictions
By IAN FEIN
BOSTON - Alleging that West Tisbury assessors and their counsel may have deliberately withheld vital information from their own expert appraiser, attorneys for West Tisbury resident William W. Graham filed a motion yesterday to exclude the testimony of the town's two key witnesses in a complex legal hearing before the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.