Chapter 430
2006 -- H 7912
Enacted 07/06/06
A N A C T
RELATING
TO TAXATION
Introduced
By: Representatives Singleton, Menard, and Moran
Date
Introduced: March 21, 2006
It is enacted by the General Assembly as
follows:
SECTION 1. Title
44 of the General Laws entitled "TAXATION" is hereby amended by
adding thereto the following chapter:
CHAPTER
33.4
CUMBERLAND SENIOR
RESIDENT PROPERTY TAX SERVICES CREDIT PROGRAM
44-33.4-1.
Program established. -- A senior resident property tax service
credit program
is hereby established, commencing on July 1,
2006, to allow qualified senior residents, as
determined by the provisions of this act, to
receive limited real estate tax credits in exchange for
services provided to the town of Cumberland
municipal government, as described in this act.
44-33.4-2.
Age and income limits. -- Taxpayers qualifying for a senior resident
property
tax service must be sixty-five (65) years of age
or older by July 1, 2006 to earn property tax credit
relief under this program. The taxpayers must
reside at the property as a full-time resident or
residents, and have a gross annual income from
all sources at or below the low income level for
Providence County for the previous calendar year
as published by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development for a two (2)
person household for jointly held property, or in
the case of a single person, at or below the
published level as aforementioned for a one-person
household.
44-33.4-3.
Ownership. -- The taxpayer or taxpayers applying for the senior
resident
property tax service credit program must be the
owner of the respective real estate to which the
credit will apply. If the property is held in
trust, the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the trust must
be the taxpayer or taxpayers applying for the
senior resident property tax service credit program.
44-33.4-4.
Maximum abatement and hourly rate. -- The maximum credit taxpayers
may earn is five hundred dollars ($500) per
fiscal year. Credit for service will be at the state of
Rhode Island hourly minimum wage at the time the
service is performed.
44-33.4-5.
Personal exemptions and deferrals. -- Taxpayers may earn tax credits
under
the service credit program in addition to any
property tax exemptions for which they may be
eligible under any provision of the general or
public law, or town of Cumberland ordinances.
44-33.4-6.
Adoption of local program rules. -- The Cumberland mayor may
establish
rules and procedures for the senior property tax
service credit program. These rules and
procedures will assure coordination of the
assignment of program participants to the various
municipal departments where they will perform
their services.
44-33.4-7.
Certification of service. -- The board, officer or department
supervising the
senior taxpayer's service must certify to the
assessor the hours of service performed by the
taxpayer and must be received by the tax assessor
by March 31st of each year.
44-33.4-8.
Status of volunteers. -- Senior taxpayers performing services for
the town of
Cumberland government in return for property tax
reductions shall be considered employees for
the purposes of municipal tort liability. The
town of Cumberland may be liable for damages for
injuries to third-parties and for
indemnification of the seniors only to the same extent as they are
in the case of injuries caused by regular
municipal employees.
44-33.4-9.
Taxation on services prohibited. -- In no instance shall the amount
by which
a person's property tax liability is reduced in
exchange for the provision of services provided
herein, be considered income, wages or
employment for the purposes of taxation, for the purposes
of withholding taxes, for the purposes of
unemployment insurance, for the purposes of workers'
compensation, or any other applicable provisions
of the Rhode Island general laws.
SECTION 2. This
act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC02680
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