WHO REALLY PAYS FOR BROWN’S TAX BREAK?
Follow the money behind the PILOT program.
BOX 1 – WHAT BROWN WOULD PAY
IF BROWN PAID FULL PROPERTY TAXES
Full Tax Bill:
≈ $49 million every year
- That’s what Brown University would owe if it were taxed like everyone else.
- Based on the value of Brown’s land and buildings in Providence.
But Brown doesn’t pay full taxes…
BOX 2 – WHAT BROWN ACTUALLY PAYSWHAT BROWN ACTUALLY PAYS THE CITY
Brown’s own checks to Providence:
- Voluntary payments (deals with City Hall)
- Some commercial property taxes
- Transition payments on a few parcels
Total from Brown:
Only about $6–9 million a year
So Brown pays just a small slice of what a normal taxpayer would owe on the same property.
BOX 3 – WHAT RHODE ISLANDERS PAY THROUGH PILOT
WHO REALLY FILLS THE GAP?
The State PILOT program sends extra money to Providence…
…but that money comes from you:
- State income taxes
- State sales taxes
- Business taxes and fees
Everyday Rhode Islanders pay so Brown can keep its tax break:
- Nurses in Warwick
- Shop owners in Cranston
- Retirees in Woonsocket
- Working families in Providence
PILOT money = state taxpayers’ money, not Brown’s.
So Providence taxpayers are hit twice:
- Locally, with higher property taxes and rents.
- Statewide, through taxes that subsidize Brown’s exemption.
