On June 27, Putney Representative Mike Mrowicki wrote a letter in VTDigger, where he said:
"To make a better Vermont for today and a brighter tomorrow, the Legislature funded our schools — and lowered property tax rates — with a yield bill that’s fiscally responsible."
Elvis Presley learned the hard way, as are Vermont taxpayers, that lawmakers who voted for tax increases now sound like Colonel George C. Parker in the early 1900s. Parker was notorious for selling New York City landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge, to unsuspecting victims.
The Vermont legislators who are saying that they lowered property taxes might be referring to the fact that they passed a bill that reduced the initially projected property tax increase from over 20% to 13.8%. This reduction was achieved by using additional state funds, implementing new taxes on certain services, and making adjustments to the tax system. However, the final bill still resulted in a 13.8% increase in property taxes compared to the previous year.
When the new tax bills start showing up in Vermonters' mailboxes, the least the representatives could do is say "yes, I voted for that and, yes, the amount of taxes you now pay are substantially higher."
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