Chafee Not Backing Down on Sales Tax Proposal

Chafee Not Backing Down on Sales Tax Proposal

Governor Lincoln Chafee is not backing down on his proposal for a one percent sales tax after the leaders of the Rhode Island House and Senate both began the legislative session by saying they opposed it.

House Speaker Gordon Fox was emphatic in his inaugural address that he did not support raising taxes to deal with the deficit—something he suggested was a temporary Band-Aid solution. Likewise, in an interview with GoLocalProv, Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed said she was “very concerned” that the proposed tax would hit the low and middle classes.

But the idea remains very much alive in the Governor’s policy shop, according to spokesman Mike Trainor. “Governor Chafee’s not changed his views on that as his recommended revenue option in the current year budget,” Trainor said. “He’s still fully behind his sales tax proposal.”

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But, Trainor added, Chafee is “certainly open to other ideas as budget deliberations continue.”

“The Governor is certainly open to discussions with both the House and Senate on the overall budget as well as revenue options,” Trainor said.