2015 -- S 0157

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES--LIABILITY AND

COMPUTATION

     

     Introduced By: Senator Roger Picard

     Date Introduced: February 05, 2015

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 44-18-30.C of the General Laws in Chapter 44-18 entitled "Sales

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and Use Taxes - Liability and Computation" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     44-18-30.C. Exemption from or stabilization of sales and use taxes for municipal

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economic development zones -- West Warwick. -- Exemption from or stabilization of sales

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and use taxes for municipal economic development zones -- West Warwick and

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Woonsocket. -- (a) Findings. - The general assembly makes the following findings of fact:

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      (1) Various sections of several towns in the state, including, but not limited to, the town

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of West Warwick and the city of Woonsocket, are deteriorated, blighted areas which have created

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very difficult challenges to economic development;

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      (2) Several areas of the state are in a distressed financial condition as defined by § 45-

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13-12(b) and cannot finance economic development projects on its own without the participation

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of private enterprise;

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      (3) The general assembly has found that it is nearly impossible for private enterprise

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alone to meet these challenges;

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      (4) In certain sections of financially distressed communities, the serious challenges of

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economic development and/or redevelopment have not been met by private enterprise alone and

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the impact is being felt throughout the community;

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      (5) Legislation enacted to encourage redevelopment of the deteriorated, blighted areas

 

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through the formation of local redevelopment agencies has had very limited success;

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      (6) Various states, such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan have had a great deal

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of success in generating economic development by exercising the authority to exempt and/or

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stabilize taxes;

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      (7) The state of Rhode Island has generated economic growth by redirecting and/or

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exempting certain commercial and retail activity from the imposition of sales, use and income

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taxes with recent examples being the Providence Place Mall, the Arts Districts in the cities of

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Providence, Pawtucket and Westerly, and financial services and acquaculture industries;

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      (8) Most recently, municipalities in our state have had great success in attracting large

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commercial development, including financial services, manufacturing, and major energy

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facilities, due in large part to the authority to exempt and/or stabilize property, tangible and/or

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inventory taxes;

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      (9) Attracting large non-residential developments or encouraging expansion of existing

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commercial entities can be extremely important to municipalities, where the quality of public

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education is largely dependent on the local tax base, thereby expanding the commercial tax base

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and reducing reliance upon the residential tax base;

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      (10) The ability to attract this development and increase the non-residential tax base, in

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turn, improves municipalities' ability to finance school systems, municipal services and

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infrastructure, thereby improving the quality of life;

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      (11) In addition to increasing the local non-residential tax base, this development creates

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construction jobs, permanent jobs, and spurs additional investment by private enterprises; and

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      (12) Providing authority to offer tax exemptions from, or to stabilize, the imposition of

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sales and use taxes will attract and assist in expanding, revitalizing and redeveloping the tax base

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in our municipalities, thereby providing long-term economic benefits and development.

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      (b) Exemption or stabilization of sales and use taxes imposed on sales from businesses

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located in a municipal economic development zone.

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      (1) In order to attract new construction and development in a municipal economic

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development zone (MED) as provided in this section, upon the designation of such a zone as set

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forth in subsection (c) of this section, all businesses engaging in qualifying sales and located in

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new construction in a MED zone (a MED zone business) shall be exempt from the requirement to

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charge and collect fifty percent (50%) of the current sales and use tax pursuant to §§ 44-18-18

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and 44-18-20 for a period of ten (10) years. Sales and use taxes collected in a MED zone shall be

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returned to the same MED zone in accordance with the provisions of this section. The ten (10)

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year exemption period for all MED zone businesses shall begin to run from the latest to occur of:

 

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(i) the date that is three (3) years from the effective date of the January session 2003 amendments

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[July 17, 2003] or (ii) the date that is two (2) years from the date upon which the city or town

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council designates the MED zone for its municipality; or (iii) the date the first MED zone

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business obtains a certification of exemption as set forth in subdivision (c)(6) of this section.

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      (2) For purposes of this section, "qualifying sales" for a MED zone business shall not

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include gambling activities, or the retail sales of motor vehicles, furniture, home furnishings

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including mattresses and oriental rugs, tobacco products, or packaged alcoholic beverages.

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      (3) "Qualifying sales" shall be sales at which the point of sale is located within the same

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MED zone and point of delivery is located within the same MED zone.

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      (c) Creation of the municipal economic development zone.

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      (1) The city or town council of a financially distressed community may designate in

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accordance with the provisions of this section one MED zone in the municipality, provided that

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the municipality is:

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      (i) A financially distressed community as defined by § 45-13-12(b), using the criteria set

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forth in § 45-13-12(b)(1) through (4);

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      (ii) Has a population less than fifty thousand (50,000) persons; and

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      (iii) The MED zone shall be a parcel of or contiguous parcels of land consisting in total

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of not less than ten (10) acres, but not more than thirty (30) acres in the area served by adequate

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utilities and transportation facilities.

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      (2) The city or town council of any financially distressed city or town, as set forth in

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subdivision (1) of this subsection, in creating a MED zone, shall have the power and authority of

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a redevelopment agency, as provided in chapter 32 of title 45, to undertake the redevelopment of

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a MED zone.

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      (3) The city or town council, in designating a MED zone, shall after public notice,

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hearing and vote as provided by § 45-32-4, comply with the plan requirements of § 45-32-8 and

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shall be responsible for carrying on the plan. The city or town council in implementing the MED

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zone plan shall have the power of eminent domain as set forth in § 45-32-24, and the provisions

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of §§ 45-32-25 -- 45-32-41 shall apply to all such condemnations.

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      (4) All sales and use taxes collected within a MED zone shall be reimbursed to the

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municipality in which the MED zone is located, and may be expended by the municipality to

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implement the capital improvement component of the MED zone plan for MED zone property or

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for property located within one mile of the MED zone or for such other capital improvements as

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the municipality may determine are required to mitigate MED zone impacts.

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      (5) West Warwick. - The following area or portions of them of the town of West

 

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Warwick may be designated as the town's municipal economic development zone by the town

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council of the town of West Warwick after public notice, hearing and vote as provided in § 45-

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32-4:

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      The area bounded generally by the East Coast Bike Path in the east, Archambault and

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Gardner Avenue in the north, Payan Street to Curson Street, Curson Street to McNiff, McNiff to

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Barnes Street, Barnes Street to Nowicki Street to East Street, East Street to Blanchard Street,

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Blanchard Street to West Street in the west, West Street to Washington Street, Washington Street

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to Nolan Street, Nolan Street to the East Coast Bike Path in the south, all as more particularly

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described on the West Warwick municipal economic development zone map on file with the town

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clerk.

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      (6) The tax administrator shall issue a certification of exemption to the MED zone

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business at the time the business applies for its permit to make sales at retail and provides the tax

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administrator with a MED zone business certificate issued by the town clerk stating that the

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business is located in new construction in the MED zone. The duration of the certificate shall be

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determined in accordance with subdivision (b)(1) of this section.

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      (7) No business shall be permitted to become a MED zone business or to receive a

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certificate of exemption pursuant to subdivision (6) of this subsection by relocating from any area

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within the state of Rhode Island but outside the MED zone to new construction within the MED

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zone, unless the relocation results in the creation of new permanent employment positions that

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increase the total employment of the business by not less than fifty percent (50%) of its average

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total employment for the two (2) year period immediately preceding the year in which it applies

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for its certificate of exemption. Any business that expands its operations by adding a new location

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within the MED zone and then ceases to operate any of its locations within the state of Rhode

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Island that existed prior to the establishment of the MED zone location shall immediately have its

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certificate of exemption for the MED zone location revoked.

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     (8) Woonsocket. The entire area of the city of Woonsocket may be designated as the

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city's municipal economic development zone by the city council of the city of Woonsocket after

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public notice, hearing, and vote as provided in § 45-32-4. This provision shall be repealed and

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expire ten (10) years after passage.

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     (d) The director of the department of revenue shall perform an annual review of all

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municipal economic development zones created pursuant to this section regarding compliance

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with their MED zone plans, the receipt and the expenditure of funds, the status of any capital

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improvement projects and the names of any businesses granted a tax certificate of exemption.

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This annual review shall be performed on or before December 31 of each year and provided to

 

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the chairpersons of the house and senate finance committees on or before February 1 of each

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year. The general assembly can expand the municipal economic development zone or create

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additional MED zones, or both, if there is favorable economic progress in the zone, based upon

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the annual review provided by the director of the department of revenue.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES--LIABILITY AND

COMPUTATION

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     This act would authorize the creation of a municipal economic development zone

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consisting of the entire city of Woonsocket and require that the director of the department of

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revenue perform an annual review of all MED zones and transmit said review to the chairpersons

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of the house and senate finance committees.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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