Title 44
Taxation

Chapter 34.1
Motor Vehicle and Trailer Excise Tax Elimination Act of 1998

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-34.1-2

§ 44-34.1-2. City, town, and fire district reimbursement.

(a)  In fiscal years 2024 and thereafter, cities, towns, and fire districts shall receive reimbursements, as set forth in this section, from state general revenues equal to the amount of lost tax revenue due to the phase out of the excise tax. When the tax is phased out, cities, towns, and fire districts shall receive a permanent distribution of sales tax revenue pursuant to § 44-18-18 in an amount equal to any lost revenue resulting from the excise tax elimination.

(b)(1) In fiscal year 2024, cities, towns, and fire districts shall receive the following reimbursement amounts:

Barrington $ 5,894,822  
Bristol $ 2,905,818  
Burrillville $ 5,053,933  
Central Falls $ 2,077,974  
Charlestown $ 1,020,877  
Coventry $ 5,872,396  
Cranston $ 22,312,247  
Cumberland $ 6,073,469  
East Greenwich $ 2,417,332  
East Providence $ 11,433,479  
Exeter $ 2,241,381  
Foster $ 1,652,251  
Glocester $ 2,381,941  
Hopkinton $ 1,629,259  
Jamestown $ 622,793  
Johnston $ 10,382,785  
Lincoln $ 5,683,015  
Little Compton $ 366,775  
Middletown $ 1,976,448  
Narragansett $ 1,831,251  
Newport $ 2,223,671  
New Shoreham $ 163,298  
North Kingstown $ 5,378,818  
North Providence $ 9,619,286  
North Smithfield $ 4,398,531  
Pawtucket $ 16,495,506  
Portsmouth $ 2,414,242  
Providence $ 34,131,596  
Richmond $ 1,448,455  
Scituate $ 1,977,127  
Smithfield $ 7,098,694  
South Kingstown $ 3,930,455  
Tiverton $ 1,748,175  
Warren $ 2,090,911  
Warwick $ 25,246,254  
Westerly $ 5,765,523  
West Greenwich $ 1,331,725  
West Warwick $ 5,673,744  
Woonsocket $ 9,324,776  
Lime Rock Fire District $ 133,933  
Lincoln Fire District $ 208,994  
Manville Fire District $ 64,862  
Quinnville Fire District $ 13,483  

(2) In fiscal year 2024, funds shall be distributed to the cities, towns, and fire districts as follows:

(i) On August 1, 2023, twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds.

(ii) On November 1, 2023, twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds.

(iii) On February 1, 2024, twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds.

(iv) On May 1, 2024, twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds.

The funds shall be distributed to each city, town, and fire district in the same proportion as distributed in fiscal year 2023.

(3) For the city of East Providence, the payment schedule is twenty-five percent (25%) on November 1, 2023, twenty-five percent (25%) on February 1, 2024, twenty-five percent (25%) on May 1, 2024, and twenty-five percent (25%) on August 1, 2024.

(4) On any of the payment dates specified in subsections (b)(2)(i) through (b)(2)(iv) or (b)(3) of this section, the director of revenue is authorized to deduct previously made over-payments or add supplemental payments as may be required to bring the reimbursements into full compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

(c) When the tax is phased out to August 1, of the following fiscal year the director of revenue shall calculate to the nearest thousandth of one cent ($0.00001) the number of cents of sales tax received for the fiscal year ending June 30, of the year following the phase-out equal to the amount of funds distributed to the cities, towns, and fire districts under this chapter during the fiscal year following the phase-out and the percent of the total funds distributed in the fiscal year following the phase-out received by each city, town, and fire district, calculated to the nearest one-hundredth of one percent (0.01%). The director of the department of revenue shall transmit those calculations to the governor, the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, the chairperson of the house finance committee, the chairperson of the senate finance committee, the house fiscal advisor, and the senate fiscal advisor. The number of cents, applied to the sales taxes received for the prior fiscal year, shall be the basis for determining the amount of sales tax to be distributed to the cities, towns, and fire districts under this chapter for the second fiscal year following the phase-out and each year thereafter. The cities, towns, and fire districts shall receive that amount of sales tax in the proportions calculated by the director of revenue as that received in the fiscal year following the phase-out.

(d) In fiscal years 2025 and thereafter, twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds shall be distributed to the cities, towns, and fire districts on August 1, 2024, and every August 1 thereafter; twenty-five percent (25%) shall be distributed on November 1, 2024, and every November 1 thereafter; twenty-five percent (25%) shall be distributed on February 1, 2025, and every February 1 thereafter; and twenty-five percent (25%) shall be distributed on May 1, 2025, and every May 1 thereafter.

(e) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 400, § 1 and P.L. 2024, ch. 401, § 1.]

History of Section.
P.L. 1998, ch. 31, art. 28, § 3; P.L. 1999, ch. 112, § 2; P.L. 1999, ch. 303, § 2; P.L. 2000, ch. 55, art. 19, § 7; P.L. 2000, ch. 74, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 65, art. 3, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 376, art. 13, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 595, art. 11, § 1; P.L. 2005, ch. 117, art. 17, § 3; P.L. 2006, ch. 246, art. 29, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 571, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 9, art. 17, § 2; P.L. 2010, ch. 8, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 23, art. 23, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 120, § 3; P.L. 2017, ch. 302, art. 11, § 3; P.L. 2017, ch. 307, § 1; P.L. 2023, ch. 203, § 2, effective July 1, 2023; P.L. 2023, ch. 204, § 2, effective July 1, 2023; P.L. 2023, ch. 294, § 6, effective June 22, 2023; P.L. 2023, ch. 295, § 6, effective June 22, 2023; P.L. 2024, ch. 400, § 1, effective June 26, 2024; P.L. 2024, ch. 401, § 1, effective June 26, 2024.