Projo Biz Blog

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri and his choice for the new director of the Department of Revenue, Gary Sasse, are scheduled to announce legislation today "designed to implement reforms in cities and towns necessary to bring relief to local taxpayers," the governor's office said last night.

The “Municipal Fiscal Responsibility Act" has seven provisions that will "reduce taxpayer costs at the city and town level, while ensuring greater accountability," the news release said.

The statement did not provide details about how, but said the news conference will be at 10:30 a.m. in the State House's State Room.

Sasse's nomination is headed to the full Senate for approval next Wednesday. At a Senate panel hearing yesterday, several legislators asked him if he intended to delve into how much “bang for the buck” Rhode Island is getting from its much-ballyhooed tax credit for television and movie productions.

A little over a year ago, in a Journal story exploring the impact of the film tax credits, Sasse, then head of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, a business-backed research group, said: “We are concerned that the film tax credit is not creating permanent jobs and investment in Rhode Island.”

The question came as actor Richard Gere heads to the State House today for a press conference on his new movie, "Hachiko: A Dog Story", to be filmed entirely in Rhode Island.

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