Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jay Mitiguy, who is the COO and co-owner of Dowling’s Inc. and Burlington Drug Co and a member of Vermont Retail and Grocers Association and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Milton.
[F]riends, neighbors and customers ask me all the time, “When will Montpelier get it?” We simply cannot afford to live here, to work here, to raise our kids here, to retire here. That’s a feeling that too many Vermonters share about our great state. I happen to believe that we live in the very best place and that our lawmakers in Montpelier generally have good intentions but, unfortunately, sometimes those good intentions lead to policies that add to the burden of our families and businesses.
The most recent example is the proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. This $0.02 per-ounce excise tax is being pushed as a cure-all that will make us healthier. You don’t have to be a doctor or Ph.D. to know that simply isn’t true. This tax will be placed on businesses that distribute beverages — businesses that employ hundreds or even thousands of Vermonters. In turn, the tax will be passed on to grocers and restaurant owners who will pass the tax on to us in the form of higher prices.
Extra bureaucracy and costs are not what Vermont needs right now.
We don’t need Montpelier to tell us what we should eat and drink. We are more than capable of making choices for ourselves.
As a fourth generation business owner employing 65 Vermonters, I am concerned that the beverage tax will result in higher costs for my customers and more barriers that hurt small businesses. It seems that each year, Montpelier comes up with new ways to burden businesses.
When our economy was floundering, one very bright spot was our local food and beverage movement. Today, as the economy regains some of its strength, courageous entrepreneurs are taking risks, opening restaurants in once vacant downtowns and village centers, and revitalizing our communities. Montpelier should celebrate this work by focusing on laws that encourage growth. Instead, some lawmakers are saddling these mom and pop shops with higher costs and arduous regulations.
Vermonters are keenly aware of how our diet and exercise impact our overall health. We don’t need Montpelier to tell us what we should eat and drink. We are more than capable of making choices for ourselves.
Instead of getting involved in our private decisions, the government should work to make life easier on the average Vermonter. What goes in our grocery baskets should be our choice. If lawmakers want to help, they should focus on priorities like jobs, the economy, and education and leave the grocery shopping to us.
Please join me in opposing this tax.
