PROVIDENCE – Collection of the 1% meal and beverage tax in Rhode Island in January totaled $1.8 million, a 12.8% decline year over year from January 2018, according to the R.I. Department of Revenue Friday.
The largest municipal collection in January of the 1% tax was in Providence, totaling $429,707, a drop of 16.1% over the year. The largest decline of collections of all municipalities in the state was in Warwick, declining 32.6% to $211,863. The largest increase in collection of all cities and towns in the state was in Tiverton, rising 81.8% to $24,369, no doubt powered by the opening of the Twin River Tiverton casino.
Fiscal year to date, collection of the 1% meal and beverage tax totaled $16.4 million, a 4.9% decline in fiscal-year-to-date collections through January.
After collection by the state, the tax is distributed to the municipalities in which the tax was collected.
