Whip Place: 2025 H6162 - Levy and Assessment of Local Taxes / City of Providence (52725)

I hate the 4 percent cap. As a member of a town council, I saw the 4 percent cap as a driver of the increase in taxes in communities because there is a distinct benefit to every year going right up to the cap because you get more every year. The 4% cap doesn't stop a municipality from increasing taxes beyond it. It actually incentivizes increasing taxes year-over-year because you find yourself in this this zone where you have to do it because you may not be able to do it next year. But the only thing worse than a bad bill is a bad bill you don't enforce. Right? We said we've done this over and over again. Well, then fix the bill. If we have to do the special exemption over and over and over again, fix the bill. Don't keep providing the exemption because then the bill is pointless. Why have the bill in the first place? This do away the 4% cap because as Representative Tanzy says, she forgot something. We took away the tangible tax, too, and pretty soon we'll cap that. So, you forgot that. So, she's right. We keep putting pressure on our municipalities, but we don't give them the relief. This isn't the way to do it. Special exemptions aren't the way to do it. Let's do away either fix the 4% cap bill or do away with it and let our municipalities manage their own business. And I will be opposing this legislation, Mr. Speaker.