罗得岛州最高法院审理普罗维登斯市议会挑战市中心税收协议案
据10月23日报道，罗得岛州最高法院本周开庭审理了一起关于普罗维登斯市中心税收协议的争议：普罗维登斯市议会寻求介入一项涉及市中心10处房产的税收安排，这些房产属于开发商阿诺德·“巴夫”·蔡斯的 Cornish Associates 公司。这项税收安排由前市长豪尔赫·埃洛尔扎执政时期的市政府作出，普罗维登斯市指控开发商利用一项保障性住房法律“钻空子”获取税收优惠，市议会此次寻求介入，正是要把这项协议重新摆到州最高法院面前。报道指出，目前公开的信息没有详细说明税收协议的具体条款，也没有披露大法官们在庭审中提出的问题。市中心这10处房产的税收待遇如何裁定，将影响普罗维登斯市未来的财政收入和保障性住房政策的执行口径。市议会与开发商之间的这场官司，也折射出罗得岛州首府在城市更新与税收优惠之间长期存在的争议：税收优惠本意是鼓励开发商建设保障性住房，但市政府认为有关安排被滥用，偏离了立法初衷。州最高法院何时作出裁决，尚待公布。
Rhode Island Supreme Court Hears Providence City Council's Challenge to Downtown Tax Deal
According to an Oct. 23 report, the Rhode Island Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a dispute over a downtown Providence tax agreement: the Providence City Council is seeking to intervene in a tax arrangement covering 10 downtown properties owned by developer Arnold "Buff" Chase's Cornish Associates. The arrangement was made under former Mayor Jorge Elorza's administration; the city alleges the developer exploited an affordable housing law to obtain tax benefits, and the council's bid to intervene brings the deal back before the state supreme court. The report noted that publicly available information does not detail the specific terms of the tax agreement or the questions the justices raised at the hearing. How the 10 downtown properties are taxed will affect Providence's future revenue and the enforcement of its affordable housing policies. No date for a ruling has been announced.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：罗得岛州议会大厦（资料图）。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。the Rhode Island State House (file photo). Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
