The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has seized J.P. House of Pizza, a longtime pizza shop at 775 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain, over more than $223,000 in unpaid taxes. State officials sought judicial permission in June to take over the business, and a Suffolk Superior Court judge signed off on the move in July.
The pizza shop owed $223,156.70 in unpaid taxes, according to MassLive. The Department of Revenue asked the court for permission to take over the Jamaica Plain restaurant in June, and Suffolk Superior Court Judge Robert B. Gordon authorized that request in July, clearing the way for the state to move in on the business at 775 Centre St.
State Recovered Only a Fraction of the Debt
Court records show the state had already tried to claw back what it was owed directly from the owner's bank accounts before pursuing the seizure. That effort recovered just over $2,300, according to court records cited in the report — a small fraction of the six-figure debt still outstanding. The shortfall appears to be part of why the Department of Revenue pushed for the more drastic step of taking over the business itself.
Sean Hoar wrote that the taxpayer was aware of its liability but had failed to submit an acceptable payment agreement to the Department of Revenue, according to the same report. That detail suggests the state viewed the seizure as a last resort after other avenues to settle the debt didn't pan out.
A Fixture of the Neighborhood's Pizza Scene
J.P. House of Pizza has long presented itself as a neighborhood institution. The shop's own website describes it as having been known for the best pizza, subs, salad and dinners in Jamaica Plain, per jphopizza.com, and it advertises dine-in, takeout and delivery service as a family-owned operation.
The business's history is described a bit differently depending on the source. J.P. House of Pizza's own site says it carries over 25 years of tradition, while a listing on Tripadvisor describes the restaurant as family owned and operated for 35 years. Either way, it's a shop with deep roots in the neighborhood, which makes the state seizure notable for longtime Jamaica Plain customers.
It remains unclear whether J.P. House of Pizza is currently open for business under state control or otherwise. What is clear, per the court record cited by MassLive, is that a six-figure tax bill went unresolved for long enough that the Commonwealth decided to step in and take the business over directly.
