Caprio Says RI Could Be Shopping Capital of Northeast
Stephen Beale, GoLocalProv Politics Editor
Caprio Says RI Could Be Shopping Capital of Northeast
Caprio called on the state Economic Development Corporation to do a better job of spreading the word.
“For too long the EDC has not capitalized on one of our state's biggest competitive advantages,” Caprio said. “Massachusetts has no problem coming into Rhode Island and running ads to make a big deal out of their sales tax holiday and it is only two days long. Why does the EDC keep one of the only tax advantages our state has a secret?”
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“We should brand our state as the shopping capital of the Northeast. There is no sales tax on clothing here, period. It isn’t just a day or a weekend - there is no sales tax on clothing in Rhode Island 365 days a year,” Caprio said.
As governor, Caprio would serve as the chairman of the EDC. In that position, he said he would make sure Rhode Island did a better job of marketing itself as a “tax haven” for clothes shoppers.
“We have a built in competitive advantage and we need to take advantage of it,” Caprio said. “If the EDC is looking to grow our economy and create jobs it should start by investing in our retail economy.”
A spokeswoman for the EDC could not be reached for comment yesterday.