US EditionBoston Property Taxes to Jump 13 Percent, Second Straight Year with Double Digit Increase - Boston News, Weather, Sports
Mayor Wu seeks to prevent a $780 average tax hike on homeowners by shifting property tax burden to commercial properties amid falling commercial values.
- On Tuesday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu urged the State Senate to pass a home rule petition to shift the tax burden and limit a 13% homeowner increase beginning in January.
- Rising residential values and falling commercial values have shifted Boston's tax burden onto homeowners, while state law limit: 175% restricts rebalancing without legislative approval.
- The measure has passed locally but was blocked by Senate President Karen Spilka and State Sen. Nick Collins, despite support from the City Council and House of Representatives.
- With tax bills due in a few weeks, Wu warned the January bill applies the new rate retroactively, causing a 26% increase over the last quarter's bill, while the Legislature schedule is on break until January.
- Wu is convening a task force early next year and seeks updates to Prop 2.5 as the residential share is projected at 46.1% in FY26, amid the city's $4.6 billion budget reliance on property taxes.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Boston property taxes to jump 13 percent, second straight year with double digit increase - Boston News, Weather, Sports
Boston is raising property tax rates on single family homes again next yaer. Mayor Michelle Wu said those taxes will jump 13 percent, the second straight year of double-digit increases. The mayor tried to limit the increase by shifting some of the burden to commercial property owners, but that plan failed to get necessary approval from Beacon Hill. Wu said next year’s tax hike will translate to $780 for the average homeowner.
Boston homeowners will see an increase of about 13% in their tax bills starting in January 2026, according to city projections. Mayor Michelle Wu explained that the increase is directly related to the drop in the value of commercial properties and to the limits imposed by state law to set tax rates.How much they will pay in excessFor an average single-family home, the increase represents an additional $780 per year.As the new rate will be applie…
Boston Office Slump Deepens as Mayor Wu Pushes for Higher Taxes
Commercial building values in Boston are on track to fall another 6% in fiscal 2026, deepening a two-year slide in a city that leans more heavily on real estate taxes than almost any other major US municipality.
A third tilt at the windmill for Wu’s tax shift
MAYOR MICHELLE WU, citing foreboding property tax trends heading into January, is renewing her call for Beacon Hill to approve a temporary shift in the city’s tax rate to ease the hit facing Boston homeowners. But it’s unclear whether the state Senate, which has given the plan a cold shoulder since it was first proposed almost two years ago, is any more favorably disposed toward it today than before. Boston continues to struggle with the after…
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