mitigate (verb) 

To mitigate (MIH-duh-gate) is to make less severe, serious, or painful. As I used it today: “[Sweden has] a national 25% sales tax that is built into the price of almost everything. To mitigate the effect on those earning less than 18,000 kroners, there are a few exceptions (e.g., basic foodstuffs) where the sales tax is lower or doesn’t apply.”