Chip Carter, a retired television anchor, moved in 2016 to Guilford, where he volunteers with a number of community organizations and serves on the Selectboard.
GUILFORD-You've heard the saying, "What have you done for me lately?"
When it comes to the Vermont Legislature, it's not a question of what have they done for you. It's a question of what have they done to you - what they are repeatedly doing to you.
This isn't just an indictment on the current serving legislators, the latest in a long line of representatives who since the mid-'80s have repeatedly asked residents to fund programs through taxes as if we are a bottomless well.
To me, the Ways and Means Committee is aptly named, because for years it has found any ways and means necessary to tax Vermonters.
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Let's start with the horrendous hit on our property taxes.
Our property tax rises by double digits, yet the education system in Vermont is cemented into the middle of the country when it comes to the overall quality level.
That impactful property-tax hit is the proverbial tip of the iceberg of what it costs to live in a state that is one of the most expensive for residents in the country.
This year, WalletHub ranked U.S. states by tax burden. The tax burden is an accurate measurement of how much of our income - how much of the money we make - goes to state and local taxes.
Vermont is ranked third in the country for residents' tax burden.
Think about that for a second.
Vermont is ranked higher than California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island - to name just a few states known to be some of the most expensive.
And the ranking gets worse. Vermont is ranked second in the U.S. when it comes to the property tax burden. This isn't some overnight tax hit - the Legislature has been working this way for years, because taxes are the primary way to raise revenue in this state.
Other sources of revenue are severely limited because while Vermont is ranked with a top-three tax burden hit on residents, it is also ranked as one of the worst states for businesses to operate in.
That's despite our No. 1 ranking for quality of life, which I totally and whole heartedly agree with.
I am writing this because I want to live here, but the Legislature makes it difficult.
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So, why doesn't that No. 1 quality-of-life ranking translate to more businesses doing business here?
Answer: State legislators.
While they justifiably focus on climate change, when it comes to the business climate, legislators fall short. They've repeatedly over-regulated, thrown up roadblocks, and constantly made it a challenge for companies and local business to operate in this state.
So a solid corporate tax base basically doesn't exist, because companies don't want to work here.
Vermont has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the country - and if the Legislature had pushed it through this past session, it would have become the highest.
I find it ironic that to raise revenue, the Ways and Means Committee is pushing a higher corporate tax rate in one of the states in the country with the fewest corporations.
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Full disclosure: I'm a registered Democrat, but the Legislature's Democratic supermajority, as it's frequently labeled by the media, isn't so super for residents.
They "apologize" for the double-digit property tax, they repeatedly use the cliché "make tough decisions" on why we need to pay more, they take pride in their "veto override session," but what they won't do - what they don't do - is find solutions that keeps money in the pockets of residents.
On Aug. 13, voters need to get representatives' attention and make a change. Elections are not personality contests; vote for your wallet.
Look at the numbers, figure out the costs, do the calculations.
And then, vote out the incumbents who have put you and me in this position.
This Voices Viewpoint was submitted to The Commons.
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