Tax Division extends hours for tax amnesty program

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s tax amnesty program, which promises a clean slate to the state’s tax delinquents, has generated $7.83 million and drawn 3,230 applications since it was launched on Sept. 2, Tax Administrator David M. Sullivan said Friday.
To accommodate the increased volume of the program, which ends in two weeks on Nov. 15, the R.I. Division of Taxation has extended the program’s hours an extra 90 minutes. The office will now be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on business days.
“As the deadline nears, we’ve seen interest in our tax amnesty program really pick up – and we know that calls and visits will increase over the next two weeks. Therefore, we are extending our hours in order to handle the higher volume,” said Sullivan in a statement.

The walk-in service is available at Tax Division offices on Smith Street, and the office urged those interested in using the walk-in service to arrive by 5 p.m.

During the state’s last tax amnesty, in 2006, roughly 80 percent of the total dollars were collected during the final 30 days, according a previous release from the Tax Division.
If residents file an amnesty application, past-due returns and pay back taxes, the state’s Tax Division said it will take a number of steps to reduce the overall burden, if approved.
If the application is approved, the Tax Division will: waive penalties, reduce interest by 25 percent, agree not to pursue civil or criminal penalties, and agree not to block license renewal.
As of Oct. 31, the Tax Division has received $3.5 million in public service corporation taxes, $2.2 million in personal income taxes, $1.3 million in corporate taxes and $819,650 in sales and use tax. The figures include tax and interest paid.

No posts to display