Mike Mrowicki has served since 2007 in the Vermont House of Representatives, where he represents Putney and Dummerston in the Windham-4 district. For more information about Mrowicki and his campaign for re-election, visit windham4.online.
PUTNEY-As we head toward Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, one issue that we see - on the local scene and all the way up to Washington - is a national economy that can best be described as one of "have-nots and have-yachts."
Locally, property-tax payers are left wondering what happened to aspirations for progressive tax policy where those who make the most pay the most, while retirees and working middle-class folks get a break.
With that in mind, we held a public forum in Putney to hear directly from people, and I thank those who came out to share their experiences.
I also thank Rep. Emilie Kornheiser (D-Windham-7) for sharing her time and expertise, as well as Selectboard Chair Aileen Chute and Tom Ehrenberg for moderating the meeting.
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First, I assure you, folks - we hear you. Loud and clear. Something must be done about taxes when the Legislature convenes in January. Yes, we also need to deal with climate change, housing, education, and justice issues, but my No. 1 priority is fair-share tax reform, should I be fortunate enough to be re-elected.
We'll be working to pass a wealth surcharge for those earning over $400,000 per year. Their fair share of income taxes has been missing since the Trump federal tax giveaway of 2017, which affects Vermont revenues since our state tax system is based on federal taxable income.
I'm also open to an alternative minimum tax both for individuals and corporations.
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Regarding property taxes: It appears that the current metrics and formulas that previously protected taxpayers from being charged beyond their ability to pay have been rendered obsolete by the skyrocketing real estate market and its effect on the value of your property.
We can't assume that just because a property value has doubled in an inflated market that taxpayers' ability to pay has doubled. This is especially true for retirees, for people living with disabilities, and for others with fixed incomes as well as for middle- and working-class earners who are struggling to make ends meet.
Some homeowners feel their ability to remain in their home is being threatened - and, even worse, they feel their best option might be to sell and move out of state.
That's not what our tax policy should inspire.
I hear the reality folks are facing, especially since my wife and I are in the same boat. We both work two jobs to make ends meet, and we were shocked to see our home value doubling this year, leading to a 40% tax increase. (And a state legislator's'salary of $20,000 per year, including per diem expenses, doesn't go too far to help cover that.)
The three parts that comprise how your property tax bill is calculated all need to be dealt with: town budgets and school budgets on the local level and tax policy at the state level.
We must find a balance between providing for towns and for a quality education for our children and doing so at a cost that's affordable. The state must do its part to restore progressiveness to tax policy.
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We can do better, we must do better, and together we will do better - so we can also continue work on those other issues of climate, housing, justice, and whatever else comes up.
On many levels, this is an historic election. We have the chance to elect Kamala Harris as president and turn the page on the discord and chaos of the Trump era and those who want to go back to that.
Locally, as well, there are those who want to go back to the Trump-style politics of chaos and inequality. I join the chorus of those stating, "We're not going back."
I look forward to working to move Vermont and the U.S. forward and turn the page to the next chapter - a next chapter with a vision of Vermont that works for all and creates a better today and brighter tomorrow.
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