Everything up until now has basically been the prologue. Now on to the real thing.
Commercial property tax revenue is a relatively small portion of how RI municipalities generate their funds. The major part of the story involves residential tax revenue plus state aid.
An important quantity that needs to be taken into consideration, usually entirely neglected in Rhode Island taxation debates, is the degree that communities actually tax their own residents to pay for local services. Presently, the measures of "tax effort" that the state uses for various bureaucratic purposes (including calculation of the education aid "funding formula") seem to lump residential and commercial taxation together, meaning that a community can inflate its appearance of "tax effort" by raising taxes on commercial properties. There is a fairness issue here tied directly to an economic one -- if a community makes short-sighted decisions that run a bunch of businesses out of town because of high commercial tax rates that keep residential taxes low, is that community then entitled to demand that the state make up the difference in some kind of "funding formula"?
Data is available for painting a better picture of what is happening on the residential side. In terms of residential tax levies in each RI city and town, 3 components will be considered:
(See Table 1, below the fold)
The U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey provides mean income data for all 39 Rhode Island cities and towns, based on a 5-year data span (and I can hear the skinflint pseudoconservatives shrieking: What? We spent money to pay for 39 estimates. We should consolidate everything, and then we'd only have to pay for 1 estimate).
(See Table 2, below the fold)
Based on those numbers, local taxation in Rhode Island can be calculated in terms of the income of local residents. There are some interesting variations in the results.
Community | Estimated Residential Taxes | Estimated Community Income | % |
New Shoreham | $7,548,403 | $50,670,812 | 14.9% |
Westerly | $60,068,382 | $723,623,972 | 8.3% |
Charlestown | $22,344,774 | $280,245,735 | 8.0% |
Jamestown | $18,226,276 | $238,128,085 | 7.7% |
Narragansett | $41,330,974 | $589,639,012 | 7.0% |
Barrington | $52,531,961 | $750,732,990 | 7.0% |
Smithfield | $44,556,739 | $660,901,200 | 6.7% |
Hopkinton | $17,371,823 | $258,085,760 | 6.7% |
Glocester | $20,367,277 | $310,049,498 | 6.6% |
Tiverton | $32,555,171 | $501,504,180 | 6.5% |
Foster | $10,126,928 | $159,648,566 | 6.3% |
East Greenwich | $40,943,187 | $650,450,934 | 6.3% |
Cranston | $140,031,603 | $2,230,900,024 | 6.3% |
North Providence | $55,663,407 | $896,195,164 | 6.2% |
Little Compton | $9,690,006 | $158,047,920 | 6.1% |
Warren | $18,903,276 | $313,342,830 | 6.0% |
South Kingstown | $59,666,885 | $990,620,148 | 6.0% |
Scituate | $18,898,836 | $321,459,138 | 5.9% |
Richmond | $14,284,170 | $244,582,548 | 5.8% |
Coventry | $59,892,348 | $1,038,550,254 | 5.8% |
Portsmouth | $41,832,221 | $732,059,511 | 5.7% |
Middletown | $31,522,496 | $553,331,300 | 5.7% |
Warwick | $142,107,199 | $2,515,047,584 | 5.7% |
North Kingstown | $57,562,579 | $1,030,596,746 | 5.6% |
Burrillville | $25,001,269 | $451,319,085 | 5.5% |
Newport | $48,915,879 | $883,701,696 | 5.5% |
North Smithfield | $22,118,882 | $410,133,024 | 5.4% |
West Greenwich | $11,254,689 | $213,215,790 | 5.3% |
Johnston | $40,940,330 | $778,402,833 | 5.3% |
Exeter | $12,546,640 | $242,627,275 | 5.2% |
Providence | $187,919,289 | $3,691,700,870 | 5.1% |
East Providence | $64,344,891 | $1,310,121,561 | 4.9% |
Cumberland | $55,052,263 | $1,121,847,892 | 4.9% |
Lincoln | $37,704,656 | $777,803,670 | 4.8% |
Pawtucket | $74,151,943 | $1,534,520,064 | 4.8% |
Woonsocket | $38,789,267 | $833,687,012 | 4.7% |
Bristol | $32,574,555 | $711,183,782 | 4.6% |
West Warwick | $33,739,187 | $771,810,040 | 4.4% |
Central Falls | $9,700,424 | $290,465,616 | 3.3% |
We're not done yet (hence the "part 1" in the title of this post), but I will make two immediate comments:
Community | 2011 Residential Tax Levy | 2010 Pro-Rated Fire District Levy | 2011 Car Tax Levy | Estimated Residential Taxes |
Barrington | $47,110,364 | $0 | $5,421,597 | $52,531,961 |
Bristol | $30,459,812 | $0 | $2,114,743 | $32,574,555 |
Burrillville | $18,691,892 | $2,094,565 | $4,214,812 | $25,001,269 |
Central Falls | $8,007,467 | $0 | $1,692,957 | $9,700,424 |
Charlestown | $20,113,222 | $1,355,704 | $875,848 | $22,344,774 |
Coventry | $47,653,167 | $7,243,089 | $4,996,092 | $59,892,348 |
Cranston | $120,251,791 | $0 | $19,779,811 | $140,031,603 |
Cumberland | $44,005,066 | $5,953,132 | $5,094,064 | $55,052,263 |
East Greenwich | $35,348,088 | $3,589,294 | $2,005,805 | $40,943,187 |
East Providence | $55,507,929 | $0 | $8,836,962 | $64,344,891 |
Exeter | $9,711,665 | $961,412 | $1,873,562 | $12,546,640 |
Foster | $8,982,979 | $0 | $1,143,949 | $10,126,928 |
Glocester | $17,211,488 | $1,143,093 | $2,012,696 | $20,367,277 |
Hopkinton | $14,969,360 | $1,061,997 | $1,340,465 | $17,371,823 |
Jamestown | $17,725,156 | $0 | $501,120 | $18,226,276 |
Johnston | $40,736,167 | $0 | $204,162 | $40,940,330 |
Lincoln | $29,902,515 | $3,309,995 | $4,492,145 | $37,704,656 |
Little Compton | $9,392,423 | $0 | $297,583 | $9,690,006 |
Middletown | $29,986,463 | $0 | $1,536,033 | $31,522,496 |
Narragansett | $39,759,113 | $228,472 | $1,343,389 | $41,330,974 |
Newport | $47,191,289 | $0 | $1,724,590 | $48,915,879 |
New Shoreham | $7,461,456 | $0 | $86,946 | $7,548,403 |
North Kingstown | $53,257,852 | $0 | $4,304,727 | $57,562,579 |
North Providence | $46,792,573 | $0 | $8,870,833 | $55,663,407 |
North Smithfield | $18,278,073 | $0 | $3,840,809 | $22,118,882 |
Pawtucket | $60,296,861 | $0 | $13,855,082 | $74,151,943 |
Portsmouth | $39,497,860 | $452,482 | $1,881,879 | $41,832,221 |
Providence | $156,284,921 | $0 | $31,634,368 | $187,919,289 |
Richmond | $12,637,270 | $412,211 | $1,234,689 | $14,284,170 |
Scituate | $17,331,169 | $0 | $1,567,667 | $18,898,836 |
Smithfield | $38,389,349 | $0 | $6,167,390 | $44,556,739 |
South Kingstown | $54,367,391 | $2,122,214 | $3,177,280 | $59,666,885 |
Tiverton | $30,522,223 | $755,314 | $1,277,633 | $32,555,171 |
Warren | $17,145,009 | $0 | $1,758,267 | $18,903,276 |
Warwick | $119,451,175 | $0 | $22,656,024 | $142,107,199 |
Westerly | $52,461,672 | $2,715,137 | $4,891,573 | $60,068,382 |
West Greenwich | $10,121,502 | $0 | $1,133,188 | $11,254,689 |
West Warwick | $29,853,587 | $0 | $3,885,599 | $33,739,187 |
Woonsocket | $30,956,546 | $0 | $7,832,720 | $38,789,267 |
Community | 2010 Census Bureau Per-Capita Income | Population | Estimated Community Income |
Barrington | $46,029 | 16,310 | $750,732,990 |
Bristol | $30,983 | 22,954 | $711,183,782 |
Burrillville | $28,287 | 15,955 | $451,319,085 |
Central Falls | $14,991 | 19,376 | $290,465,616 |
Charlestown | $35,805 | 7,827 | $280,245,735 |
Coventry | $29,661 | 35,014 | $1,038,550,254 |
Cranston | $27,752 | 80,387 | $2,230,900,024 |
Cumberland | $33,482 | 33,506 | $1,121,847,892 |
East Greenwich | $49,479 | 13,146 | $650,450,934 |
East Providence | $27,853 | 47,037 | $1,310,121,561 |
Exeter | $37,763 | 6,425 | $242,627,275 |
Foster | $34,661 | 4,606 | $159,648,566 |
Glocester | $31,813 | 9,746 | $310,049,498 |
Hopkinton | $31,520 | 8,188 | $258,085,760 |
Jamestown | $44,057 | 5,405 | $238,128,085 |
Johnston | $27,057 | 28,769 | $778,402,833 |
Lincoln | $36,854 | 21,105 | $777,803,670 |
Little Compton | $45,260 | 3,492 | $158,047,920 |
Middletown | $34,262 | 16,150 | $553,331,300 |
Narragansett | $37,159 | 15,868 | $589,639,012 |
Newport | $35,818 | 24,672 | $883,701,696 |
New Shoreham | $48,212 | 1,051 | $50,670,812 |
North Kingstown | $38,911 | 26,486 | $1,030,596,746 |
North Providence | $27,938 | 32,078 | $896,195,164 |
North Smithfield | $34,272 | 11,967 | $410,133,024 |
Pawtucket | $21,568 | 71,148 | $1,534,520,064 |
Portsmouth | $42,099 | 17,389 | $732,059,511 |
Providence | $20,735 | 178,042 | $3,691,700,870 |
Richmond | $31,731 | 7,708 | $244,582,548 |
Scituate | $31,122 | 10,329 | $321,459,138 |
Smithfield | $30,840 | 21,430 | $660,901,200 |
South Kingstown | $32,332 | 30,639 | $990,620,148 |
Tiverton | $31,781 | 15,780 | $501,504,180 |
Warren | $29,530 | 10,611 | $313,342,830 |
Warwick | $30,422 | 82,672 | $2,515,047,584 |
Westerly | $31,756 | 22,787 | $723,623,972 |
West Greenwich | $34,754 | 6,135 | $213,215,790 |
West Warwick | $26,440 | 29,191 | $771,810,040 |
Woonsocket | $20,242 | 41,186 | $833,687,012 |