§ 44-5-7. Provision for municipal installment payments.
(a)(1) Every city and town shall make provision for the payment in installments of any tax
levied under the provisions of § 44-5-1 by adding to and making a part of the resolution ordering the assessment and the
collection of the tax an option permitting persons assessed to pay their taxes in
equal quarterly installments if they so desire, free of any charges, interest, penalties,
or other assessments, the amounts and dates for payment of the installments to be
specified in the resolution; provided, that the city or town may provide that the
option contained in the resolution does not apply to any tax levied in an amount not
in excess of one hundred dollars ($100) in which case the tax is payable in a single
installment.
(2) As used in this section, "person assessed� includes: (i) the person named in the assessment,
the record owner of the property assessed, and any attorney, property manager, or
other person acting on behalf of the person assessed, or the record owner of the property
assessed; and (ii) Any mortgagee or other person having a lien or other security interest
in the property assessed of any mortgage servicer, tax servicer, or agent of any such
mortgagee or lienholder.
(b) If, prior to July 8, 1999, a mortgagee, holder of a security interest, mortgage servicer,
tax servicer, or agent has been required by the tax collector of the city or town
where the property is situated to pay the tax levied under the provisions of § 44-5-1 in a single installment, the tax collector, city or town, mortgagee, holder, mortgage
servicer, tax servicer, or agent will be deemed, with respect to the single installment
payment, to have complied with applicable law.
(c) No tax collector of the city or town where the property assessed is situated shall
impose or attempt to impose different requirements relating to payment of taxes based
upon whether the person who actually pays the tax is:
(1) The person named in the assessment, the record owner of the property assessed, and
any attorney, property manager, or other person acting on behalf of the person assessed,
or the record owner of the property assessed; or
(2) A mortgagee or other person having a lien or other security interest in the property
assessed or any mortgage servicer, tax servicer or agent of any mortgagee or lienholder.
(d) A person assessed as defined in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section may opt to continue
to pay the tax assessed as of December 31, 1996, in a single installment if the tax
collector of the city or town where the property assessed is situated required those
persons to pay the tax levied under the provisions of § 44-5-1 in a single installment. This subsection applies notwithstanding that, prior to July
8, 1999, the tax collector of the city or town where the property assessed is located
permitted the person to pay the tax levied under the provisions of § 44-5-1 in installments, but only upon payment of a charge, interest, penalty, or other assessment.
(e) Compliance within this section is mandatory with respect to the tax assessed as of
December 31, 1999, and thereafter.
(f) This law is not applicable to any city or town that as of July 8, 1999, offered a
discount in exchange for a single installment payment.