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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- H 6248 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002748 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES-TAX |
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| 16 | 16 | | DEFERRAL PROGRAM |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Representatives Cotter, Speakman, Spears, Chippendale, Potter, Giraldo, |
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| 18 | 18 | | McGaw, and Carson |
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| 19 | 19 | | Date Introduced: April 23, 2025 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Referred To: House Municipal Government & Housing |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | |
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| 23 | 23 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 44-5 of the General Laws entitled "Levy and Assessment of Local 1 |
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| 25 | 25 | | Taxes" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 2 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 44-5-20.13.2. Statewide deferment of payment of tax for qualified senior citizens, 3 |
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| 27 | 27 | | disabled citizens and disabled veterans. 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | (a) The city or town councils in the state may, by ordinance, provide that the payment of 5 |
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| 29 | 29 | | property taxes on a single-family dwelling, including manufactured homes, owned and occupied 6 |
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| 30 | 30 | | by a senior citizen, disabled citizen or disabled veteran be deferred until the property is disposed 7 |
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| 31 | 31 | | by reason of death of all qualified owners, or by reason of transfer or conveyance; provided 8 |
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| 32 | 32 | | however, that any taxes so deferred shall constitute a lien against the real estate. Interest, in an 9 |
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| 33 | 33 | | amount of six percent (6%) annually, shall accrue during said deferral period and shall be added to 10 |
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| 34 | 34 | | the final tax bill. The city or town shall file a written notice of the lien in its land evidence records. 11 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (b) For the purposes of this section the following definitions shall apply: 12 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) “Senior citizen” means any resident who is sixty-two (62) years of age or older. 13 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) “Disabled citizen” means a resident who has been determined to be totally disabled by 14 |
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| 38 | 38 | | the United States Social Security Administration. 15 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) “Disabled veteran” means a resident who is a veteran, and has been determined to be 16 |
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| 40 | 40 | | totally disabled by the United States Veterans Administration. 17 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c)(1) Single-family dwellings including manufactured homes, with reverse mortgages, 18 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC002748 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 45 | 45 | | shall not be eligible for the deferment of property taxes. 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) Single-family dwellings including manufactured homes with less than twenty percent 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (20%) equity in the home shall not be eligible for this deferment of property taxes. 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (d) The city or town councils shall, by ordinance, establish the requirements and application 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | and/or verification procedures for taxpayers to avail themselves of the benefit of the deferment 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided in this section. 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (e) If, following the granting of a deferral, a tax assessor determines that an owner who 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | applied and was granted a deferral of property taxes did not file the claim in good faith, the owner 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | shall be assessed a delinquency penalty for the nonpayment of the deferred taxes. 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (f) If an eligible city or town has adopted an ordinance in accordance with this section, the 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | tax collector shall certify to the director of finance on or before the end of business on January 31, 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | the total amount of supplemental roll property tax deferral claims submitted pursuant to this section. 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (g) This section does not apply to property taxes paid through escrow accounts. 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | ======== |
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| 60 | 60 | | LC002748 |
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| 61 | 61 | | ======== |
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| 62 | 62 | | |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 64 | 64 | | LC002748 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 65 | 65 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 66 | 66 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 67 | 67 | | OF |
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| 68 | 68 | | A N A C T |
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| 69 | 69 | | RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES-TAX |
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| 70 | 70 | | DEFERRAL PROGRAM |
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| 71 | 71 | | *** |
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| 72 | 72 | | This act would enable any city or town council to adopt a property tax deferral program for 1 |
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| 73 | 73 | | senior citizens, disabled persons or veterans. 2 |
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| 74 | 74 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 3 |
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| 75 | 75 | | ======== |
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| 76 | 76 | | LC002748 |
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| 77 | 77 | | ======== |
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