RhodeMap RI / RI Rising depends upon an important State initiative: Getting you to subsidize your neighbors property taxes, even when your neighbor is financially better off than you!

Do you think this can't happen?  Read what members of the RI House Finance Committee have in store in the next legislative session.  

House Bill 6107A sponsored by Representatives Raymond Gallison, Kenneth Marshall and Jeremiah O’Grady, would greatly expand a two-tiered property tax scheme currently only applicable to certain rehabilitated affordable housing.  The scheme would not only greatly lower property taxes on newly qualified property, but would also make such properties immune to any future tax increase from the cost of schools, police, fire, pensions. 

Residents in these protected properties would have no incentive to control municipal costs, since, after all, they will never have to pay a dime towards any budget increase from schools, police, fire, etc...

The result of H6107A is the creation of two classes of taxpayers; one class of citizens forced to subsidize the municipal costs of the other.  Beyond this is the fact that those enjoying such tax breaks could have household incomes exceeding those paying the full weight of their own property tax bill.  Some households in qualified "affordable housing" can have incomes as high as $89,000 per year. 

House Bill 6107A is clearly inequality under the law and patently unfair.

Without a two-tiered property tax scheme, RhodeMap RI / RI Rising has no practical means of success.  Those who are promoting the "equity agenda" will not flinch in using property tax policy to drive out the so-called "unfairness" of home ownership  ("the widespread dominance of single family homes played an enormous role in creating an income and equity gradient across Rhode Island." - Page 89, RI Rising final document).

The first step in accomplishing this goal is to inform those in power and those who have the most to lose, our town council members, that the taxpayers in Rhode Island will not stand for such policies as those promoted under H6107A.

Most local representatives and many of our General Assembly members are shockingly unaware of this major encroachment on the sovereignty of local governments to control their budgets and expenses.  

Click here to download a pre-written text document that can be easily copied and pasted into an email or letter to your representatives in the Rhode Island General Assembly and to your town council members.

Find your RI General Assembly members' contact information here.

Find your local RI Town Council members' contact information here. 

If this bill becomes law, your property taxes will increase in the coming years. Your home may eventually become too expensive.