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Providence residents, renters and small landlords push back on mayor’s proposed tax changes
Summary
Dozens of Providence residents, nonprofit leaders and small landlords told the Finance Committee May 6 that a proposed tax structure change in Mayor Smiley’s FY26 budget would hit renters and owners of 2–5 unit homes hardest and risk displacement and hardship for people on fixed incomes.
Dozens of Providence residents, neighborhood advocates and small-property owners urged the Finance Committee May 6 to reject or revise parts of Mayor Smiley’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget that they said would shift a disproportionate tax burden onto renters, small multifamily homeowners and people on fixed incomes.
Speakers at the public hearing said the mayor’s plan — which several commenters said includes a roughly 4 percent levy increase for some single‑family homes and a larger (reported by speakers as about 16 percent) increase targeted at two‑to‑five‑unit residential buildings — would prompt rent increases and force longtime residents to leave the city.
Why this matters: Providence’s housing stock includes many small multifamily buildings that residents and speakers said house lower‑income and multigenerational families. Several witnesses said raising taxes on those properties would accelerate displacement and undermine efforts to keep housing affordable for renters and older homeowners on fixed incomes.
Public testimony and examples Jackie Goldman, a neighborhood…
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