Boston City Council approves a new version of Wu's tax cut measure

After hours of debate, the Boston City Council has once again sent Mayor Michelle Wu’s tax relief proposal to Beacon Hill.

It was a nearly unanimous, 12-1, with Councilor Ed Flynn the lone "no" vote for the measure, which would temporarily raise real estate taxes on commercial property to keep residential taxes lower.

The matter must go next to the State House, where the Senate killed a similar bill last year.

Flynn said Boston shouldn't raise taxes without cutting spending from the city's budget.

“ We have to address spending in the city,” Flynn said. “We just can't continue spending money non-stop on every single program. At some point, the money runs out. We have to be fiscally responsible and fiscally disciplined.”

The new measure mirrors the proposal Wu reached with business groups and lawmakers last fall. The proposal also includes more relief and grant support for small businesses, as well as a tax rebate program for residents if the petition isn’t adopted on Beacon Hill by the end of March.

“This home rule petition is not perfect as it stands,” Councilor John FitzGerald said. “There are some parts of it that I fundamentally disagree with, in terms of the long-term health of the city … but there's some good pork barrel legislation in here that I believe addresses important issues and provides appropriate relief to the residents and small businesses of Boston.”

This week marked the third time the full City Council has voted for a tax relief plan from the Wu administration. Last year’s proposal was amended with business group input to get approval from state lawmakers in the House. But that amended version never received a formal vote in the Senate.

Since then, city residents received their Fiscal Year 2025 third-quarter tax bills. According to the Mayor’s office, the tax bill for an average single family home receiving a residential exemption increased 10.4%, or $575 for the average single-family home.

Wu on Wednesday told WBUR she was "grateful" for the council vote and pressed for Beacon Hill to pass the legislation.

"I continue to urge state legislators to move forward our balanced, compromise tax proposal that protects our residents and helps families afford to stay in their homes.”

Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, who introduced a home-rule petition to the Council on Wednesday, said some residents need tax relief

"These are folks that we have been hearing from, my office has been hearing from, saying, ‘I’m senior on fixed income, I am struggling right now to make ends meet,” Zapata said.

Despite the petition passing handily, the session was laden with tension. It started during a floor debate on two amendments brought by Flynn, which had some members of the Council arguing about parliamentary procedure. That back and forth sparked some tense exchanges that continued throughout the multi-hour debate on the tax petition.

Ultimately, Flynn’s amendments failed, as did amendments introduced by councilors Julia Mejia and Erin Murphy.

"I'm just going to recommend that, you know, this tit-for-tat is just not going to help us,” Mejia said. “Let's just all just stop, let's leave all of these things at the door and let's focus on doing the people's business.”

The tax proposal now heads to Beacon Hill for final approval. It’s unclear when lawmakers will take it up for a vote.