By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com
Governor Gina Raimondo says she is dropping the so-called Taylor Swift tax after revenue estimations projected over $170 million of additional revenue into the 2016 budget.
WPRI reports Raimondo is scrapping the tax on million-dollar second, non-owner occupied, homes saying she would not have proposed the tax had she known about the extra funds back in March.
In a statement, the governor said she would like lawmakers to consider using the funds to address fixing the state’s Medicaid program.
“Medicaid accounts for more than 30 cents of every state taxpayer dollar, so we need to stay focused on reinventing Medicaid, on shifting to paying for value instead of for volume, and on achieving savings this year,” said Raimondo.
The Governor’s proposal faced staunch criticism from House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and the Rhode Island Association of Realtors.
