City Delays Vehicle Tax Bills to Account for Car Tax Relief
Taxpayers will be given an extended due date for payment
PAWTUCKET ??? Mayor Donald R. Grebien announced today that the City of Pawtucket will delay sending out its car tax bills until the statewide car tax phase out legislation is approved.
Traditionally, each year residents receive their vehicle tax bills at the end of June or beginning of July, along with their real estate bills. With ongoing car tax relief discussions taking place at the State House, the City will be delaying the mailing of Motor Vehicle Excise Tax bills pending the passage of final legislation. Any changes made on the state level will alter the calculations of bills.
Rather than issuing vehicle tax bills now, and potentially overcharging taxpayers, the City will not send out its bills until later this summer. This will allow for accuracy and fairness in billing and eliminate the possibility of overcharging and subsequent refunds, which would cost additional money to issue and would be an inconvenient process for residents.
???I fully support the state budget proposal, passed out of the finance committee this week, to eliminate the car tax. As the President of the League of Cities and Towns, I???ve been advocating with my fellow mayors for the phase out and to make cities whole,??? said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. ???Thank you to Pawtucket???s legislators for focusing on this issue to put money back in the pockets of the hard working people in our community.???
The deadline for first quarter payment of car tax bills, which has yet to be determined, will be extended to accommodate the delay. When taxpayers receive the delayed car tax bills, they will have the customary two to three weeks from the time they receive their bills to make payments. Taxpayers will not be assessed an interest penalty due to the delay in issuing the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax bills if their bills are paid on time, by the extended first quarter deadline. The deadline will be finalized once the City receives the final car tax relief legislation from the State of Rhode Island and the new calculations are made. The extended first quarter deadline will be included on the tax bills when they are mailed out and the City will publicize the extended deadline online and in the newspaper as well.
The City does not anticipate the delay to have an effect on the second quarter payments, due in October. Please note there will be no delay in the Real Estate and Tangible Tax bills, which will be issued at the end of June.
Taxpayers with additional questions or concerns are encouraged to contact the Collections Division at 401-728-0500 ext. 344, or by email at taxinfo@pawtucketri.com.
The City of Pawtucket thanks the residents and taxpayers for their patience throughout this process.