Recent developments

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation has posted the following:

• An Advisory about tax changes that take effect January 1, 2019. Click here to view.
• An Advisory about an inflation adjustment involving the gas tax, to take effect July 1, 2019. Click here to view.
• The new booklet of income tax withholding tables (used by employers and others to calculate how much to withhold from an employee’s pay for Rhode Island personal income tax purposes). Click here to view.
• The new version of Form RI W-4, “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate” (which an employee may use to adjust the amount of Rhode Island personal income tax withheld from the employee's paycheck). Click here to view.

Division provides gifts for foster children in DCYF care

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation recently raised funds to help clients of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF). Specifically, employees of the Division of Taxation's Audit & Investigation section used their personal funds to purchase $635 in gift cards to different retailers.

Patrick Gengarella (below, left), chief of the Division's Audit & Investigation section, presented the gift cards in a festive holiday bag on December 18, 2018, to Jane Ahles of the DCYF's Family Services Unit, which plans to give the cards to foster children who are in DCYF's care.

Patrick Gengarella and Jane Ahles

Email scam targets tax professionals

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation, the Internal Revenue Service, and other partners in the Security Summit warned today of an uptick in email scams that target tax professionals. For more information, click here.

Monday deadline for corporate estimated tax

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation reminds tax professionals and taxpayers that the fourth payment of estimated tax for calendar-year C corporations is due on or before Monday, December 17, 2018. For more information, click here.

W-2 and ID scams target small business

The Internal Revenue Service, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation, and other members of the Security Summit urge small businesses to be on guard against a growing wave of identity theft and W-2 scams. For details, see today's announcement, issued as part of National Tax Security Awareness Week.

Use strong passwords online, Security Summit says

The Internal Revenue Service, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation, and other partners in the Security Summit urged taxpayers and tax professionals today to create and use strong passwords when online. This is especially important for those who use online accounts involving financial data and/or tax data, the Security Summit said. To learn more, click here.

Also today, the Security Summit warned about a new wave of phishing attacks. The term "phishing" refers to how criminals, posing as trustworthy people or organizations, use emails or websites to solicit your personal, tax, or financial information. To learn more, click here.

Ruling issued on solar power project

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation today posted its latest Declaratory Ruling.

In Ruling Request No. 2018-01, the owner of a solar power project asks whether a number of items purchased/used for a solar photovoltaic system will be exempt from Rhode Island sales and use tax. To view the ruling, click here.

Beware of ID thieves this shopping season

The Internal Revenue Service, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation, and other partners in the Security Summit today urged taxpayers to take extra steps during this holiday shopping season to protect their tax and financial data from identity thieves. (Click here for the announcement.)

The appeal came as the Security Summit kicked off National Tax Security Awareness Week. In Rhode Island, Tax Administrator Neena Savage and Attorney General Peter Kilmartin helped launch the start of National Tax Security Awareness Week by taking part in a news conference in Cranston co-hosted by the IRS and the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants. (See below)

Rhode Island Tax Administrator Neena Savage

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin