Boston, MA - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has lost all credibility, demonstrating a clear pattern of bad-faith negotiations with the legislature, the business community, and the public. When first introducing the commercial tax hike to the City Council and the legislature, Mayor Wu claimed it was necessary to prevent a staggering 33% residential property tax increase for Boston homeowners. She has wielded this inflated figure as a bargaining chip, effectively holding Boston homeowners hostage throughout the negotiation process.

However, recent revelations show that if this legislation does not pass, residential taxes would rise by just 10.5%-a figure far closer to the 9% average increase over the past five years than the dramatic 33% Wu initially claimed. This represents an increase of $284 for the average single family homeowner throughout the course of a year.

“Mayor Wu has deliberately and flagrantly misled the public, instilling fear in Boston residents that they would be priced out of their homes unless commercial real estate taxes were raised. This fear-mongering has proven false,” said MassGOP Executive Director John Milligan. “Commercial real estate in Boston has already suffered greatly post-pandemic, with vacancy rates exceeding 40% in many highly leveraged properties. Further tax hikes on these businesses would undermine Boston’s economy and, by extension, Massachusetts’ economic stability.”

Milligan added, “Mayor Wu’s conduct during these negotiations has been nothing short of unethical. It’s evident that she’s not prioritizing the interests of Boston’s residents or businesses. Instead, she’s pursuing an extreme progressive agenda aimed at expanding government control rather than fostering private sector growth.”

“If Mayor Wu were truly committed to improving City Hall’s budget, she might start by reducing spending on bike lanes, which has cost the city an arm and a leg, widely disliked by Bostonians, and has made the city less accessible than ever. Alternatively, she could focus on tackling the waste, fraud, and abuse within City Hall, including investigating the city council’s spending habits-such as misappropriating thousands of dollars for kickback schemes made in City Hall bathrooms,” Milligan concluded.