Mass. GOP Senate candidate pays 2005 appraisal fee by Steve LeBlanc Associated Press / May 16, 2013
BOSTON (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez said he has paid an eight-year-old, $1,000 bill for an appraisal on his Cohasset home, even as he again called on Democratic challenger Edward Markey to release his tax returns.
Gomez paid the fee Thursday, after The Boston Globe reported that the appraiser had filed a claim against Gomez in small claims court.
‘‘I'm surprised to hear this $1,000 bill after eight years,’’ Gomez told reporters during a campaign stop in Quincy on Thursday. ‘‘Quite frankly, I don’t even recall the bill.’’
The appraiser said Gomez hired him in 2005 to help determine how much he could deduct from his federal tax return in exchange for agreeing not to make alterations on the facade of the historic home.
Gomez reportedly declined to pay the fee after receiving a more generous evaluation from another appraiser. Democrats have criticized the $281,000 tax break, saying local bylaws already prevented Gomez from changing the facade of the house.
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