2015 -- H 5447

========

LC001097

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

____________

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Lancia, Shekarchi, Newberry, Giarrusso, and

     Date Introduced: February 12, 2015

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

1

     SECTION 1. Chapter 44-30 of the General Laws entitled "Personal Income Tax" is

2

hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

3

     44-30-1.3. Exemption for Social Security income. – (a) There is hereby exempted from

4

the amount of personal income subject to taxation in Rhode Island all income received from

5

social security retirement and disability benefits.

6

     (b) The tax administrator shall make such rules and regulations and prepare such forms as

7

are necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.

8

     SECTION 2. Section 44-30-12 of the General Laws in Chapter 44-30 entitled "Personal

9

Income Tax" is hereby amended to read as follows:

10

     44-30-12. Rhode Island income of a resident individual. -- (a) General. - The Rhode

11

Island income of a resident individual means his or her adjusted gross income for federal income

12

tax purposes, with the modifications specified in this section.

13

      (b) Modifications increasing federal adjusted gross income. - There shall be added to

14

federal adjusted gross income:

15

      (1) Interest income on obligations of any state, or its political subdivisions, other than

16

Rhode Island or its political subdivisions;

17

      (2) Interest or dividend income on obligations or securities of any authority, commission,

18

or instrumentality of the United States, but not of Rhode Island or its political subdivisions, to the

19

extent exempted by the laws of the United States from federal income tax but not from state

 

1

income taxes;

2

      (3) The modification described in § 44-30-25(g);

3

      (4) (i) The amount defined below of a nonqualified withdrawal made from an account in

4

the tuition savings program pursuant to § 16-57-6.1. For purposes of this section, a nonqualified

5

withdrawal is:

6

      (A) A transfer or rollover to a qualified tuition program under Section 529 of the Internal

7

Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 529, other than to the tuition savings program referred to in § 16-57-

8

6.1; and

9

      (B) A withdrawal or distribution which is:

10

      (I) Not applied on a timely basis to pay "qualified higher education expenses" as defined

11

in § 16-57-3(12) of the beneficiary of the account from which the withdrawal is made;

12

      (II) Not made for a reason referred to in § 16-57-6.1(e); or

13

      (III) Not made in other circumstances for which an exclusion from tax made applicable

14

by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 529, pertains if the transfer, rollover,

15

withdrawal or distribution is made within two (2) taxable years following the taxable year for

16

which a contributions modification pursuant to subdivision (c)(4) of this section is taken based on

17

contributions to any tuition savings program account by the person who is the participant of the

18

account at the time of the contribution, whether or not the person is the participant of the account

19

at the time of the transfer, rollover, withdrawal or distribution;

20

      (ii) In the event of a nonqualified withdrawal under subparagraphs (i)(A) or (i)(B) of this

21

subdivision, there shall be added to the federal adjusted gross income of that person for the

22

taxable year of the withdrawal an amount equal to the lesser of:

23

      (A) The amount equal to the nonqualified withdrawal reduced by the sum of any

24

administrative fee or penalty imposed under the tuition savings program in connection with the

25

nonqualified withdrawal plus the earnings portion thereof, if any, includible in computing the

26

person's federal adjusted gross income for the taxable year; and

27

      (B) The amount of the person's contribution modification pursuant to subdivision (c)(4)

28

of this section for the person's taxable year of the withdrawal and the two (2) prior taxable years

29

less the amount of any nonqualified withdrawal for the two (2) prior taxable years included in

30

computing the person's Rhode Island income by application of this subsection for those years.

31

Any amount added to federal adjusted gross income pursuant to this subdivision shall constitute

32

Rhode Island income for residents, nonresidents and part-year residents; and

33

      (5) The modification described in § 44-30-25.1(d)(3)(i).

34

      (6) The amount equal to any unemployment compensation received but not included in

 

LC001097 - Page 2 of 6

1

federal adjusted gross income.

2

      (7) The amount equal to the deduction allowed for sales tax paid for a purchase of a

3

qualified motor vehicle as defined by the Internal Revenue Code § 164(a)(6).

4

      (c) Modifications reducing federal adjusted gross income. - There shall be subtracted

5

from federal adjusted gross income:

6

      (1) Any interest income on obligations of the United States and its possessions to the

7

extent includible in gross income for federal income tax purposes, and any interest or dividend

8

income on obligations, or securities of any authority, commission, or instrumentality of the

9

United States to the extent includible in gross income for federal income tax purposes but exempt

10

from state income taxes under the laws of the United States; provided, that the amount to be

11

subtracted shall in any case be reduced by any interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to

12

purchase or carry obligations or securities the income of which is exempt from Rhode Island

13

personal income tax, to the extent the interest has been deducted in determining federal adjusted

14

gross income or taxable income;

15

      (2) A modification described in § 44-30-25(f) or § 44-30-1.1(c)(1);

16

      (3) The amount of any withdrawal or distribution from the "tuition savings program"

17

referred to in § 16-57-6.1 which is included in federal adjusted gross income, other than a

18

withdrawal or distribution or portion of a withdrawal or distribution that is a nonqualified

19

withdrawal;

20

      (4) Contributions made to an account under the tuition savings program, including the

21

"contributions carryover" pursuant to paragraph (iv) of this subdivision, if any, subject to the

22

following limitations, restrictions and qualifications:

23

      (i) The aggregate subtraction pursuant to this subdivision for any taxable year of the

24

taxpayer shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500) or one thousand dollars ($1,000) if a joint

25

return;

26

      (ii) The following shall not be considered contributions:

27

      (A) Contributions made by any person to an account who is not a participant of the

28

account at the time the contribution is made;

29

      (B) Transfers or rollovers to an account from any other tuition savings program account

30

or from any other "qualified tuition program" under section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26

31

U.S.C. § 529; or

32

      (C) A change of the beneficiary of the account;

33

      (iii) The subtraction pursuant to this subdivision shall not reduce the taxpayer's federal

34

adjusted gross income to less than zero (0);

 

LC001097 - Page 3 of 6

1

      (iv) The contributions carryover to a taxable year for purpose of this subdivision is the

2

excess, if any, of the total amount of contributions actually made by the taxpayer to the tuition

3

savings program for all preceding taxable years for which this subsection is effective over the

4

sum of:

5

      (A) The total of the subtractions under this subdivision allowable to the taxpayer for all

6

such preceding taxable years; and

7

      (B) That part of any remaining contribution carryover at the end of the taxable year

8

which exceeds the amount of any nonqualified withdrawals during the year and the prior two (2)

9

taxable years not included in the addition provided for in this subdivision for those years. Any

10

such part shall be disregarded in computing the contributions carryover for any subsequent

11

taxable year;

12

      (v) For any taxable year for which a contributions carryover is applicable, the taxpayer

13

shall include a computation of the carryover with the taxpayer's Rhode Island personal income

14

tax return for that year, and if for any taxable year on which the carryover is based the taxpayer

15

filed a joint Rhode Island personal income tax return but filed a return on a basis other than

16

jointly for a subsequent taxable year, the computation shall reflect how the carryover is being

17

allocated between the prior joint filers; and

18

      (5) The modification described in § 44-30-25.1(d)(1).

19

      (6) Amounts deemed taxable income to the taxpayer due to payment or provision of

20

insurance benefits to a dependent, including a domestic partner pursuant to chapter 12 of title 36

21

or other coverage plan.

22

      (7) Modification for organ transplantation. - (i) An individual may subtract up to ten

23

thousand dollars ($10,000) from federal adjusted gross income if he or she, while living, donates

24

one or more of his or her human organs to another human being for human organ transplantation,

25

except that for purposes of this subsection, "human organ" means all or part of a liver, pancreas,

26

kidney, intestine, lung, or bone marrow. A subtract modification that is claimed hereunder may be

27

claimed in the taxable year in which the human organ transplantation occurs.

28

      (ii) An individual may claim that subtract modification hereunder only once, and the

29

subtract modification may be claimed for only the following unreimbursed expenses that are

30

incurred by the claimant and related to the claimant's organ donation:

31

      (A) Travel expenses.

32

      (B) Lodging expenses.

33

      (C) Lost wages.

34

      (iii) The subtract modification hereunder may not be claimed by a part-time resident or a

 

LC001097 - Page 4 of 6

1

nonresident of this state.

2

     (8) Modification reduction for Social Security income. – An individual may subtract

3

income received from social security retirement and disability benefits, to the extent such income

4

is included in adjusted gross income for federal income tax purposes.

5

      (d) Modification for Rhode Island fiduciary adjustment. - There shall be added to or

6

subtracted from federal adjusted gross income (as the case may be) the taxpayer's share, as

7

beneficiary of an estate or trust, of the Rhode Island fiduciary adjustment determined under § 44-

8

30-17.

9

      (e) Partners. - The amounts of modifications required to be made under this section by a

10

partner, which relate to items of income or deduction of a partnership, shall be determined under

11

§ 44-30-15.

12

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

========

LC001097

========

 

LC001097 - Page 5 of 6

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX

***

1

     This act would exempt social security income from state personal income tax.

2

     This act would take effect upon passage.

========

LC001097

========

 

LC001097 - Page 6 of 6