Statement on Gov. Phil Scott’s Jan. 24, 2019 Budget Address
Repeating a theme from his Inaugural Address two weeks ago, in his Budget Address today Gov. Phil Scott outlined items in his fiscal 2020 budget intended to attract young families—and new taxpayers—to...
View ArticleFear of flight—tax flight
The fear that rich people will leave the state has been driving Vermont tax policy for years. The idea is that the state’s taxes should be competitive with other states’ so that taxpayers, especially...
View ArticleInvest in Vermont
Legislators in Montpelier are getting close to the end of the session, but they’re still in search of that elusive prey: revenue. According to legislative watchers, our elected officials are trying to...
View ArticleCapital gains taxes need more than a tweak
The revenue bill passed by the Vermont House late last month will generate more money—about $5 million annually—by increasing the amount of investment income that is subject to the state’s capital...
View ArticleThe governor’s U-turn
Give Gov. Phil Scott credit for having the humility to reverse course and abandon a bad idea. A few days after announcing a plan to exempt young adults from the Vermont income tax, he scrapped the...
View ArticleCutting school funding now is a bad idea
If there’s anything that has become clear in this pandemic, it’s just how important schools are to Vermont families. School staff are feeding kids, providing online instruction, helping connect kids to...
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Testimony follow up: Vermont Tax Structure Commission
September 11, 2020 Vermont Tax Structure Commission Re: Follow up to August 31 testimony Dear Commissioners: Thank you for inviting me and our deputy director Stephanie Yu to your meeting last week. We...
View ArticleNo school tax increase for COVID shortfall
The Legislature did the right thing this year by holding property tax payers harmless after the COVID pandemic took a big bite out of the state’s Education Fund. The state is better situated to deal...
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A fairer tax system would help working families
Vermont has a fairer tax system than most states, but we still have work to do. That’s the message from “Who Pays?” released by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) in October. The...
View ArticleA flexible, effective revenue adjustment tool
Twenty years ago, Vermont lost a valuable tool that let the state easily adjust state revenues to respond to fluctuating demands for public services. It’s time to find a replacement. In 2002, the state...
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