Business

Senator Jack Reed and Governor Lincoln Chafee are asking Congress to pass legislation that allows state to collect taxes from online purchasing. 

Senator Jack Reed is a co-sponsor of the “Marketplace Fairness Act,” which would open the door for states to collect sales taxes from online retailers.  Right now it’s up to shoppers to pony up when filing their income taxes.

Providence Business News Editor Mark Murphy joins Rhode Island Public Radio's Dave Fallon for a weekly business segment we're calling "The Bottom Line." Each Friday it looks at business news and themes that affect local business and the public.

This week Dave and Mark talk with Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, also RIPTA chairman. The segment centers on proposals to move bus lines out of Kennedy Plaza and to restructure RIPTA lines across the state.

When to Listen

You can hear The Bottom Line each Friday at 5:50pm.

A new farm and garden supply store on the West Side of Providence has become a source of neighborhood controversy.  Residents rallied Sunday in support of the business called Cluck!.

About a hundred people sipped coffee and munched on scones at the Sunday morning rally.  They were there to support a new store that aims to supply small growers and chicken farmers in the city.  Community member Alice Danahy says the storefront, which used to be an abandoned gas station, was an eyesore.

The state’s economy cooled down in the first two months of this year. That’s according to a University of Rhode Island economist. The slowdown comes just as the state’s economy was starting to get its mojo back.

URI professor Len Lardaro said a wide swath of the state’s economy was starting to cook during the back half of last year. But in January and February, that growth cooled off. Lardaro said sluggish retail sales and an uptick in unemployment claims have him worried.