In a comment to a post of mine on Anchor Rising, Tiverton Tax Assessor David Robert suggested that the town may not take advantage of the power that the Rhode Island General Assembly has just given it to raise taxes on automobiles, and that if it does, the result would be property tax relief:
As far Tiverton is concerned, my stance is this. After the FTM, the projected tax rate was $15.40. Since we now can tax [motor vehicles] at full book value minus $500, the projected [real estate/tangible personal property] tax rate should be lower to offset the increase in MV taxes levied. Therefore, the property owner will pay less in RE tax, but they will be paying more on their car tax. It will be about a wash. But in no case will the taxes levied be higher than the levy voted on at the FTM. So, no net gain to the Town because of this change.
As Mr. Robert notes at the outset, this is his opinion. We learned well, during the just-concluded budget season, that all such matters are subject of fair and unfair debate and political maneuvering. The policy that the town actually pursues will depend on the opinions of a majority of Town Council members.
Loading ...