Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement:
“Vermonters elected me based on my vision to grow our economy, make Vermont more affordable and protect the most vulnerable. This came with a clear commitment to fiscal responsibility that gives Vermonters a break from years of constant tax increases that contribute to the crisis of affordability many families and businesses face.
“The vote to sustain my veto of H.13 today reflects a steadfast commitment from many in the Legislature to provide Vermonters with this relief after years of tax increases, and I thank them for their work.
“With this issue settled, it is my hope the majority party in the Legislature will join us to quickly pass a budget and tax bill that protect against an unnecessary property tax rate increase in a year we have a growing surplus of no less than $55 million, and a total of $171 million more in revenue than we had last year.
“One easy solution to resolve the budget debate would be to send me a new bill that prevents the automatic increase in the non-residential property tax rate, which impacts Vermont renters, camp owners, businesses and more. This would ensure we have a budget in place long before July 1 and require us to work together, on a level playing field, to resolve our remaining differences in the tax bill.
“I have directed my staff to make meetings with the Legislature our top priority and we will make ourselves available to achieve a consensus that fully funds school budgets and strengthens our education system without raising property tax rates in a year we have an unexpected surplus in taxpayer dollars. There is no reason we cannot reach agreement quickly to achieve these goals.”
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