Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-19-35 (2026)

Tax collection as property held in trust for the state

✓ current as of July 2026
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All taxes collected by any retailer from purchasers in accordance with the provisions of chapter 18 of this title, and all taxes collected by any retailer from purchasers under color of those provisions, constitutes a trust fund for the state until paid to the tax administrator. That trust is enforceable against:

(1) The retailer;

(2) Any officer, agent, servant, or employee of any corporate retailer responsible for either the collection or payment, or both, of the tax;

(3) Any person receiving any part of the fund without consideration, or knowing that the retailer or any officer, agent, servant, or employee of any corporate retailer is committing a breach of trust; and

(4)(i) Their estates, heirs, and representatives; provided, that a purchaser to whom a refund has been properly made, or any person who receives payment of a lawful obligation of the retailer from that fund, is presumed to have received that amount in good faith and without any knowledge of the breach of trust.

(ii) The word “purchaser” includes a person who has paid rental charges on living quarters in any hotel, rooming house, or tourist camp.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 1985–2008 · leading case: Arizona Dep't of Revenue v. Action Marine, Inc., 181 P.3d 188 (Ariz. 2008).
Arizona Dep't of Revenue v. Action Marine, Inc., 181 P.3d 188 (Ariz. 2008). · cites it 2× “§§ 7201(e) & 7237(b) (2000); R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-19-35 (2005); S.D. Codified Laws § 10-45-55 (2004); Vt.”
Norberg v. Feist, 495 A.2d 687 (R.I. 1985). · cites it 8× “1956 (1980 Reenactment) § 44-19-35, which in pertinent part provides that “[a]ll taxes collected by any retailer from purchasers in accordance with the provisions of chapter 18 of this title, and all taxes collected by any retailer from purchasers under color of said provisions,…”
Ahlburn v. Clark, 728 A.2d 449 (R.I. 1999). · cites it 2× “That trust shall be enforced against: (1) The retailer * * G.L.1956 § 44-19-35. Additionally, § 44-19-12 provides for pecuniary penalties if retailers like these book-selling plaintiffs fail to remit all of the sales taxes due to the appropriate taxing authorities: “If any part…”
In Re A. Cardi Const. Co., Inc., 154 B.R. 403 (Bankr. D.R.I. 1993). · cites it 2× “G.L. § 44-19-35. As to the former assertion, it is adequate to say without citation of authority that it ignores the preemptive effect and supremacy of the Bankruptcy Code over state law.”
Ador v. Action marine/randall (Ariz. 2008). “§§ 7201 (e) & 7237(b) (2000); R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-19-35 (2005); S.D. Codified Laws § 10-45-55 (2004); Vt.”
— R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-19-35(c) — 1 case
Norberg v. Feist, 495 A.2d 687 (R.I. 1985). “1956 (1980 Reenactment) § 44-19-35, which in pertinent part provides that “[a]ll taxes collected by any retailer from purchasers in accordance with the provisions of chapter 18 of this title, and all taxes collected by any retailer from purchasers under color of said provisions,…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.