Rhode Island
Rhode Island debates raising taxes on the rich – The Boston Globe
On Thursday, a group of progressive lawmakers joined the Working Families Party in announcing a set of four bills, branded the “Fair Share for Rhode Island Package,” that would go beyond McKee’s proposal to generate $650 million in annual revenue by boosting taxes on the wealthy.
Representative Brandon C. Potter, a Cranston Democrat, called McKee’s proposal “a strong step forward,” but said, “It simply does not do enough to meet the needs of working people in Rhode Island right now.”
Potter emphasized that President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” would provide about $1 trillion in federal tax cuts for the richest 1 percent over the next decade while slashing health benefits and food assistance for lower-income Rhode Islanders.
“We need to meet this moment,” Potter said. “In a state controlled by Democrats, we have the opportunity to demonstrate what it means to fight for working people and deliver on our values in the way that this moment calls for.”
The “Fair Share for Rhode Island Package” includes:
● A 1 percent tax “wealth tax” on a Rhode Island tax filers who have worldwide financial assets of more than $25 million. That would generate a projected $300 million per year.
Potter and Senator Tiara T. Mack, a Providence Democrat, are sponsoring that legislation, which would apply to financial intangible assets such as stocks, bonds, options, and annuities, and not to the value of houses or other real estate property, or nonfinancial intangible assets such as patents or brand recognition.
Mack said the tax would affect 1/14th of the state’s richest 1 percent. “And because wealth is so concentrated amongst this very small percentage, this small tax on the richest Rhode Islanders will raise $3 billion over the next 10 years,” she said.
● A 3 percent surtax on taxable income of more than $640,000. That would generate a projected $200 million a year.
Representative Karen Alzate, a Pawtucket Democrat, said this is the seventh year that she and Senator Melissa A. Murray, a Woonsocket Democrat, have sponsored the legislation, and in light of Trump administration cuts, she said it’s more crucial than ever.
Alzate said the Massachusetts millionaires tax has provided that state with billions in revenue to improve health care and schools and lure big business such as Hasbro, which is moving its headquarters from Pawtucket to Boston. ”There is no mass exodus,“ she said. ”Just stronger communities.”
● A 4 percent “wealth proceeds tax” that would generate a projected $144.4 million per year.
Representative Teresa A. Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat, and Senator Meghan E. Kallman, a Pawtucket Democrat, are sponsoring the legislation, which aims to equalize the tax treatment of earned and unearned income by taxing “passive income” such as capital gains, dividends, interest and annuities, along with certain kinds of rents, royalties and business income. It would not tax income derived from active participation in a business or a retirement income such as Social Security, pensions, 401(k)s and IRAs.
● A digital ads tax that would generate an undetermined amount of revenue.
Kallman and Representative Terri Cortvriend, a Portsmouth Democrat, are sponsoring legislation that would tax the revenue of major tech companies, such as Meta and X, that make money from digital advertising. Only businesses with $1 million in annual gross revenue from digital ad services in Rhode Island would be required to file the new digital advertising tax return.
Last year, McKee proposed a 10 percent tax on digital advertising revenues in the state, which would only apply to media companies with more than $1 billion in global revenues.
Apple, Meta, TikTok, and Microsoft hired local lobbyists in Rhode Island to try to kill the proposal, and it was not included in the budget passed by the General Assembly. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, said the proposal was too speculative, noting only Maryland had tried such a tax and it was facing lawsuits.
The four tax proposals are facing strong opposition from business groups.
Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, criticized the proposals, saying increases in the personal income tax would hurt many small businesses.
Most of the state’s small businesses are organized as pass-through entities, meaning their business profits are taxed under the personal income tax, not a separate corporate tax, White said. Potter disputed the extent of the impact of a tax on income of more than $640,000.
But White said, “For thousands of small businesses, it is a direct tax on their operating income, and it ultimately affects employees through fewer opportunities and slower growth.”
White said the Working Families Party is supporting higher taxes while placing less emphasis “on ensuring accountability and measurable results from government.” For example, Rhode Island spends more per pupil on education than most states, and the outcomes are “mixed,” she said.
“Higher taxes alone do not necessarily lead to better public services,” White said. “We support the principle of reform before revenue and believe that Rhode Islanders deserve better accountability and quality government services for their tax dollars.”
She said state general revenue spending for fiscal year 2026 will reach $5.81 billion, marking an 11 percent increase in two years and outpacing inflation. “When spending grows at that rate, no narrowly targeted tax hike can meaningfully address the underlying problem,” she said.
White said the proposed digital advertising tax would hurt small businesses that use digital ads to grow their businesses, and raise prices for consumers. “It is also unclear whether or not it is constitutional,” she said.
On Friday, spokesmen for House and Senate leaders responded to the four tax proposals, saying, “When the legislation is introduced, it will undergo the usual thorough and public committee review process for consideration on its merits.”
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.
Rhode Island
Bodycam footage shows moments police respond to Pawtucket shooting
Police bodycam footage shows the moments officers arrived to the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
The shooting on Feb. 16 at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena killed Rhonda Dorgan and Aidan Dorgan, the ex-wife and son of the shooter, who died by suicide.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
Gerald Dorgan, Rhonda’s father, died from his injuries this week. His wife, Linda Dorgan, and family friend Thomas Geruso remain hospitalized.
Around five minutes after the first officer arrives, he beings helping paramedics with a man who identifies himself as Aidan. Twelve minutes in, Aidan Dorgan is transported to the hospital, where he would later die from his injuries.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
For the last 10 minutes of the footage, the officer then begins helping paramedics transport the other three gunshot victims.
The video ends with police prepping witness interviews.
The shooting rocked the Pawtucket community. Chris Librizzi, head coach of the Blackstone Valley Schools hockey team impacted by the shooting, said the players and coaching staff “are devastated over the events that took place at Lynch Arena on Monday and intimately affected one of our teammates.”
As authorities continue investigating the shooting in Pawtucket, three patients remain in critical condition.
“We will lean on each other and support one another, as we have always done as a team,” he added.
Pawtucket police said two handguns were found at the scene after the shooting, a Sig Sauer P226 and Glock. Other weapons have been seized at the suspect’s storage unit in Maine.
Investigators continue reviewing all video evidence from before, during and after the shooting, including surveillance footage from the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, police body-worn camera footage and other records — a high school sports livestream captured the shooting from a distance — police said.
Rhode Island
Man killed in RI shooting; suspect involved in Mass. car crash that killed 2 others
A man has died after a shooting in Cranston, Rhode Island, and investigators say a suspect was later involved in a car crash in Swansea, Massachusetts, that killed two other people.
The shooting victim was found Thursday on Legion Way, shot multiple times in the chest, Cranston police told NBC affiliate WJAR-TV. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where he later died. His name has not been released.
The suspect initially fled on foot, setting off a shelter-in-place order while investigators searched the area.
Police said Friday that investigators identified a suspect vehicle, which was later spotted by Massachusetts State Police. A trooper followed the car down Route 6 and Interstate 195, but stopped when it crossed back into Rhode Island. The car was later involved in a crash on Route 136 in Swansea, Mass.
Swansea police say that crash on Route 136 (James Reynolds Road) resulted in the deaths of two other people.
According to the Swansea Police Department, two officers saw a white Infinity G37 speed past them around 12:18 a.m. Friday on Route 6, otherwise known as Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Moments later, officers observed that the vehicle had crashed into the side of a blue Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136.
Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, police said.
The vehicle that was struck was fully engulfed in flames. First responders and bystanders tried to extinguish the fire, but both occupants — a man and a woman — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Their names have not been released.
The 28-year-old Infinity driver, who struck the victims’ Subaru, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries and later into custody by Cranston Police. They have not been publicly identified at this time.
Swansea police said they are aware that the Infinity was the subject of a police pursuit, and know the driver was wanted in connection to the Rhode Island homicide investigation. While Swansea police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect’s vehicle, however, they say they were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the deadly crash.
The crash in Swansea is under investigation by Massachusetts authorities, including state police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Meanwhile, Cranston police said they would give an update on their investigation around 1 p.m.
Rhode Island
RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know
House Speaker Shekarchi unveils 2026 RI housing legislative package
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s nine-bill package for 2026 seeks to cut red tape and relax rules on parking, dividing lots and staircases.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is once again taking aim at the regulations he says are stifling new homebuilding.
The Warwick Democrat unveiled his sixth annual suite of housing legislation on Thursday, Feb. 26, a few weeks after announcing he would not be running for governor this year.
“We are still trying to play catch-up for all the years that Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts,” Shekarchi said. “While Rhode Island remains a relatively affordable option for people moving here from other states, our own residents are too often priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”
The legislative text of the nine-bill housing package, and with it the specifics of how it would work, were not available for Thursday’s news conference.
But highlights of the package, according to summaries, include:
- Infill housing. Allow property owners to divide lots in single-family zoning districts, creating multiple dwellings instead of one, provided they have water and sewer service.
- Parking maximums. Put new limits on how much off-street parking communities require for new apartment buildings.
- Homeless Bill of Rights. Expand the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights to require 15-day notice to the occupants of encampments before local authorities clear them.
- Emergency shelters. Let communities build temporary shelters, such as the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence, during a state of emergency.
- Stairs. Legalize the construction of four-story apartment buildings with a single staircase.
- Affordable housing taxes. Overhaul the tax system for income-restricted housing covered by the state’s “8 Law.”
Is land-use reform working?
Since Shekarchi was elected speaker in 2021, the General Assembly has passed dozens of bills he backed that tweaked state land-use statutes or streamlined the process for building.
How successful this approach has been is subject to debate.
Many local elected officials wary of development in their communities continue to rail against efforts to erode their power over construction.
Others in the growing Yes In My Back Yard movement see Rhode Island’s piecemeal approach as inadequate in comparison with the scale of the affordability problem and what other states are doing.
As evidence that his changes are making a difference, Shekarchi said Rhode Island saw a 70% increase in building permits in 2023 and a more modest increase in 2024. (Statistics for last year were not immediately available.)
Gov. Dan McKee’s 2030 plan calls for 15,000 new housing units built by that year.
Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes is slated to roll out her housing plan on Monday.
It is expected to include a millionaires tax to fund affordable housing, a revolving fund and target of 20,000 new homes.
What would the new laws do?
Letting property owners put multiple homes on a plot of land is one of the most direct ways that lawmakers can encourage the construction of more homes, but it is also one of the most controversial.
That’s especially true in areas zoned for large lots and single-family homes.
How far the new bill allowing lots to be subdivided in single-family zones goes is unclear. It is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket.
Legislation setting maximum parking requirements for new developments, introduced by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would apply to areas accessible by public transit.
Critics of off-street parking requirements say they make it harder to build new apartments and make the units that are built more expensive.
Shekarchi proposed the emergency shelter bill last year. It passed the House and died in the Senate.
It was the result of how long it took state officials to navigate Rhode Island’s building code and open the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence.
The staircase bill, sponsored by Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat and chair of the House’s home affordability study commission, follows a wave of cities and states relaxing rules on how many exits are required in new construction.
Currently, the state building code requires two stairways in buildings with more than three stories, and fire officials have opposed all efforts to change that.
Speakman’s bill would allow four-story buildings with a maximum of 16 units with a single staircase.
Supporters of single-stair buildings say they allow development of small sites that would otherwise sit vacant and allow family-sized units with more light and better ventilation.
A previous Rhode Island single-stair bill would have allowed six stories, but it died in committee.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order in mid-February to study the idea.
-
World3 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO3 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT