Providence, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Department of Revenue today released its FY 2017 Local 1.0 Percent Hotel Tax Collections Report for April 2017. The Local 1.0 Percent Hotel Tax Collections Report, which is issued on a monthly basis, compares the collections from the state's local 1.0 percent hotel tax on a month-to-month, year-over-year, and fiscal year-to-date over fiscal year-to-date basis. The local 1.0 percent hotel tax is collected on the rental of rooms in the state and remitted, in full, to the municipality in which the room rental was located.
Expansion of the Local 1.0 Percent Hotel Tax Base The April 2017 report includes the local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections generated by the rental of lodging via hosting platforms and by on-line travel companies (room resellers) and vacation home rentals by homeowners and realtors for all municipalities. For all municipalities other than the City of Newport, the local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections from these rentals covers the period of July through September 2016 and April 2017 by month and July 2016 through April 2017 on a fiscal year-to-date basis. In FY 2016, the same data was provided only on a fiscal year-to-date basis for July 2015 through December 2015. For the City of Newport, local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections from these rentals covers July 2015 through April 2016 by month and on a fiscal year-to-date basis and by month for October 2016 through April 2017. No data was provided on the breakdown of these rentals for July through September 2016.
Highlights from the report as noted by Director of Revenue Robert S. Hull were • Local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections were up 5.4 percent between April 2017 and March 2017, below the 6.8 percent increase experienced in FY 2016 between April 2016 and March 2016; o April 2017 cash collections include $56,348 in receipts attributable to the local 1.0 percent hotel tax base expansion vs. $93,336 accounted for in March 2017. It should be noted that the March 2017 expanded local hotel tax base cash collections reflect room rental activity that occurred in February and March 2017 while the collections for April 2017 are only for the month of April. • Year-over-year increase in local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections for April 2017 was strong at 24.9 percent well above the 5.9 percent year-over-year growth rate posted in March 2016; o Year-over year local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections in April 2017 incorporate $56,348 of receipts generated from the local 1.0 percent hotel tax base expansion vs. $9,205 recorded in April 2016. • FY 2017 year-to-date through April local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections were 13.8 percent greater than the same period in FY 2016, a gain of $424,217 and equal to the growth experienced in FY 2016 year-to-date through April; o Year-to-date through April 2017 local 1.0 percent hotel tax collections include $447,423 from the expansion of the local 1.0 percent hotel tax base to room resellers and hosting platforms and realtors and homeowners. For the same period through April 2016, the comparable figure is $83,134.
The entire report can be found on the Department of Revenue's web site at http://www.dor.ri.gov/revenue-analysis/2017.php under the Local Reports tab. The full report includes the break down by municipality of local hotel tax collections on a month-to-month, year-over-year, and fiscal year-to-date over fiscal year-to-date basis.
Questions or comments on the report should be directed to Paul Grimaldi, Chief of Information and Public Relations by e-mail at paul.grimaldi@revenue.ri.gov or by phone at (401) 574-8766.