Dear Editor,
My wife and I recently moved our part-time residence from Moretown to Bennington. And we noticed that the relatively new anti-tax fervor has grown here in Bennington, too.
I don’t see the Legislature rolling back funding for any departments or programs. That means property taxes will remain wickedly high. More and more, the state will become a home for the poor and seniors, who are unable to move, and for the rich, who can afford a luxurious second home. The working middle class will be hard-pressed.
I find it ridiculous that my Bennington property taxes on my $160,000 condo are the same as my $500,000 Florida home. Plus, there is no state income tax in Florida.
Last year, Vermont experienced a 0.29% annual population decline because more people are dying than being born and there is an outflow of residents to other states. I would guess that trend will accelerate as more boomers like me die and smart middle-class people give up on paying $5,000 to $10,000 a year for property taxes, plus exorbitant income taxes. Double ouch!
As people wake up, they’ll realize life will be easier, taxes lower, their savings and investments much greater, if they move from Vermont to, say, North Carolina or Tennessee.
Vermont touches the heart but empties the wallet. It doesn’t have to be that way.
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There is great pride and loyalty among Vermonters, a profound love and loyalty to the state. But excessive property taxes could cost many Vermonters an extra $100,000 to $400,000 over 20 years compared with living in other states. This is insanity.
If state policies, funding and taxes don’t change for the better soon, that little dribble in population outflow will grow to a flowing stream, then a torrent. It’s inevitable.
Peter Rinaldi
Bonita Springs, Fla., and Bennington, Vt.
