In a move that’s raising eyebrows and tempers across Newport, first-term At-Large Councilman Mark Aramli is pushing a controversial proposal that would require residents to bring their income tax returns to City Hall for inspection by a government bureaucrat just to obtain a resident parking pass.
Under Aramli’s plan, property owners and renters who file their taxes outside Newport would face a hefty price hike, paying up to 200 times more for a parking sticker than they currently do.
Did you know that 60% of Newport residents are renters? Let’s say you file your taxes on April 15th someplace else but start a year-round lease on May 1st and live downtown without off-street parking. Under Aramli’s new rules, you wouldn’t be able to get a sticker to park on your own street unless you cough up at least $400 to the City of Newport.
Or imagine you’ve owned and paid taxes on a family home in Newport for over 50 years but now winter in Florida, filing your taxes there. Aramli, a multi-millionaire recent transplant to Newport, would have you paying 200 times more for a parking sticker than you have for generations.
The plan has ignited a storm of controversy, with many residents decrying it as an incredible invasion of privacy and an unnecessary and punitive measure that unfairly targets long-term locals and renters alike.
Here’s the resolution:
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