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Councilors press revenue officials on BERT exemption removal and outreach to struggling small businesses
Summary
Council members questioned how the city is informing and supporting small businesses after the removal of the BERT exemption; Revenue said it conducted hundreds of outreach events, mailed notices to tens of thousands of businesses, and has grant funding and payment accommodations available, and agreed to provide district-level participation data.
Council members pressed Revenue Department officials over outreach and relief for small businesses after the administration removed the BERT exemption.
"I have some questions about how the city is working to support entrepreneurs who are struggling to pay the BERT tax," Council member Jamie Gauthier said, describing a constituent who makes roughly $40,000 a year and faces about $5,000 in back and current tax liability. Gauthier asked what the administration is doing specifically for family-owned businesses, independent contractors and limited-English-proficiency business owners.
The Revenue Commissioner said the department and the Department of Commerce ran more than 35 workshops, webinars and presentations that reached about 1,100 attendees, mailed postcards to roughly 119,000 businesses across a five-county area and issued a specific notice to about 80,000 businesses with gross receipts under $100,000. Notices were translated into eight languages, the commissioner said, and Revenue clarified a policy treating businesses without liability in the prior three years as "new" for payment-estimate purposes so they do not pay an estimated payment in their first filing year.
Officials also described payment accommodations: a business can amend prior-year returns to claim losses and use loss carry-forwards to offset tax in future years, and taxpayers can opt for quarterly estimated payments in year two rather than pay a full estimate up front.
Gauthier and others urged the administration to expand outreach beyond mail and webinars—suggesting texting, door-to-door engagement or direct council-office partnerships to reach communities that mistrust government. Officials pointed to a $38.5 million Commerce program combining grants and technical assistance and said they would provide council offices with district-level participation statistics and details on simpler, low-barrier grant options.
Council members said they want a clearer offer specifically designed to relieve tax burdens for sole proprietors and contractors if the current legislative proposals cannot be adopted.
Revenue officials agreed to follow up with written details on outreach, grant eligibility, and program participation by district.
