2005 Report - Tax Reform That Agrees With Vermont

On January 25, 2006, the Vermont Fair Tax Coalition — a coalition of business, consumer and environmental organizations — announced the release of its second report on “Tax Reform That Agrees with Vermont.” The report describes how shifting taxes — not increasing them — can support activities society wants to discourage, such as those that increase pollution and spur sprawl. The report looks closely at opportunities for environmental tax shifts and how the existing taxes Vermonters already pay could work better to protect the environment, enhance the economy, and support hard-working Vermont families.

Legislative, business, and other state leaders who support the ‘green tax’ tenets outlined in the report gathered at the Vermont State House and described how possible realignments of state tax dollars could go far to strengthen important public programs, services, and the environmental protection Vermonters value. Testimony was provided by Senators Ginny Lyons and Diane Snelling, Melinda Moulton of Main Street Landing Company, Spence Putnam, of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, and the Gund Institute’s Gary Flomenhoft,

Read the testimony CEO/Redeveloper Melinda Moulton provided at the press conference below.

Read the Executive Summary of the Gund Institute’s “Vermont Green Tax Shift Working Paper” below. Learn more about the University of Vermont’s ‘Vermont Green Tax and Common Assets Project” here.

The VFTC includes the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, and Friends of the Earth.