A fairer tax system could help to rebuild the middle class

It has been an intense period in the Vermont House of Representatives these past few weeks, one in which many important and impactful pieces of legislation have been voted on and voted for.

In the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs, we have reviewed several charter changes, which I supported. We voted on an omnibus alcohol policy bill, H.470, which included making permanent to-go, curbside pick-up of alcohol for restaurants and bars. I supported this bill, which has a requirement to monitor and evaluate effects of problem alcohol use, as this policy change is relatively new and was instituted at the beginning of the pandemic.

In H.270, we also reviewed miscellaneous changes to the 6-month-old Cannabis Control Board’s policies and laws, which I did not ultimately support, though it passed the House. One of the changes allows more milligrams of THC allowed to be sold in a single container, which could lead to overuse, similar to how a container of any processed food leads people to be more likely to consume the entire contents, no matter the serving size.

I also was proud to support Paid Family and Medical Leave, H.66, and grateful to the hard work done by the human services committee. I think this will be a life-changing benefit for Vermonters that supports family cohesion and is the right thing to do for all Vermonters. Supporting families is one of the best ways we can support a stronger society, as the effects ripple out.

The cost of the legislation will be a $0.55 payroll tax paid for by both the employee and employer and costing under $500 per year for most small businesses, this seems like a sustainable foundation that will help small businesses and large alike.

H.494, better known as the budget, also passed, and I supported it. This budget reflects the values and opportunities Vermont currently has, as well as current needs. It has a long way to go between now and its final form, however, and at that point it may be different. I also agree that we must try, to the best of our ability, to make spending decisions that are sustainable.

It’s important that corporations and those with great wealth see the importance and benefit to themselves and the nation of fairly assessing this type of wealth in our tax system. Though we have a progressive income tax system in Vermont, property taxes strain too many folks. Fairly assessing wealth could help us rebuild our middle class, could lead to more opportunities for students to gain skills and knowledge, build stronger retirements, allow people to buy homes earlier, incentivize research and development and rebuild public infrastructure, such as our public health system, to withstand future pandemics.

I heard a statistic recently that the working class has lost an estimated 25 percent of its wealth in the last few decades. It doesn’t come as a surprise that there has also been a rise in political and social instability in our country; people moving based on their perceptions of political leanings of states, for example. A lot of what Vermont and the federal government has done in the last couple of years will go a long way toward getting us back on track, and I hope we continue to work toward this.

Finally, there is much interest in S.100, otherwise known as the housing bill, and I know folks want to hear my thoughts on this bill. In general, I support laws that provide for more decision-making at the most local level as possible. From my professional background, especially when addressing challenging, multi-faceted issues, when those who are most affected by an issue can meaningfully participate in creating and implementing solutions, those solutions are not only better and more fine-tuned to local conditions, but folks will be more able and inspired to successfully carry them out.

For this reason, I would like to see the final housing bill both incentivize building more homes in places where they are zoned to be built across Vermont — in general, it does that — and allow communities like South Burlington, which has had strong community engagement carry out its plans as well.

Thank you again for reading, and for your support, questions, comments. Reach out any time.

Kate Nugent, a Democrat, represents South Burlington in the Chittenden-10 House district.