Oh no! The apocalypse is upon us!
Property tax rate likely headed up another penny
My blood pressure cranked as I read those words from the Vermont Press Bureau. Cue the outrage on Common Sense Radio! The spittle-flecked postings on Vermont Tiger! The doom-fueled bleatings of El Jefe General John McClaughry! Fire up Jack Lindley’s mimeograph machine! Those perfidious Democrats, forcing our tax rates ever higher in spite of the broad-based anti-tax fervor of the Green Mountain populace!
Wait, what’s that?
The House last month approved a 1-cent increase in the statewide rate, bringing the figure from 87 cents to 88 cents. But that was before Vermonters headed to town meeting. And the school budgets approved last Tuesday, lawmakers learned today, included much higher increases than legislators had projected.
Oh, so the outraged voters did it to themselves.
Because state school aid is partly based on local taxation, the voters’ generosity will mean greater demands on the state education fund, and the state property tax will go to 89 cents in order to maintain an acceptable balance in the fund.
How generous were the voters?
Of the 226 [school] budget votes, only seven went down. Districts collectively will spend about 2.9 percent more next year than they did this year. Twenty-two towns have yet to vote on their school budgets, though those districts aren’t large enough to impact the overall spending trajectory.
Very generous indeed. More generous, in fact, than our big-spending Democrat Governor.
Gov. Peter Shumlin had urged districts to hold the line on school spending. Doing so, he said, would allow the state to likewise hold the line on statewide property taxes.
Well, Jeezum Crow. There go two big conservative talking points: the notion that Vermonters are “taxed to death” and are ready to re-form the Green Mountain Boys and wipe out our librul overlords… and the notion that everyone’s sick and tired of our terrible, horrible very bad public schools.
Truth is, most Vermonters are willing to pay taxes for good public services. And, at least in terms of public education, they still think they’re getting a good deal.
And how much did the Governor’s recommended state budget increase over last year?
here knowing what the tax burden would be.
moved here knowing what vermont had to offer in quality of life, politics (both right and left and progressive)
moved here knowing that my cost of living might go up if i lived in a small town and wanted to support the local farms and merchants by shopping local, and shopping local and organic at multiple coops (putney and brattleboro and now burlington). and that cost has to do with a bunch of factors – heat, driving distances, rent, taxes, cost of good, local food, etc. etc.)
moved here happily leaving behind numerous other states where taxes are similar, and cost of living was similar as well, but the environment and the political discourse are nowhere near what we have here. (billboards? what are those? town meeting – direct access to choices made in my town? trickling up to the state and sometimes national level?, yes please.)
worked as a consultant for a few years, this past year formed an LLC.
just sent off my personal and now corporate taxes, and we pay for our home in burlington and the taxes here as well. i’m nowhere near the 1%, but i’m happy to pay for quality of life. i’m happy to pay for what VT is, and can be.
and i am not moving.
you don’t like it? you don’t want to pay? you don’t want to share what good we have going on here?
new hampshire is just over the river.
new york is just across the lake.
massachusetts is just a few hours south.
have at it.
its time for folks that make these arguments to put up or shut up.
including you, governor shumlin.
vermonter’s seem to think quality of life, state services, and education are important.
lets go with that.
You’re income sensitized, right?