Dear Editor,
Sue Minter recently said that she will “support Vermont families and businesses” as governor. However, her record suggests otherwise.
In 2009, Minter voted for the disastrous budget bill. In the middle of the Great Recession, the bill raised income taxes on Vermonters by $26 million, used one-time funds to plug recurring budget holes (which was projected to leave a $208 million shortfall), and cut spending for crucial economic development programs like workforce development, which left 2,200 Vermonters without training opportunities.
She co-sponsored legislation to impose an additional 4 percent gas tax on Vermont consumers. Minter was also the lead sponsor on a proposed “mileage” tax. These two taxes would especially hurt working Vermonters who have to travel to and from work. Minter also co-sponsored a bill to raise income taxes on middle-class Vermonters making between $46,700.00 and $171,950.
So when you hear that Sue Minter supports working Vermonters and families, what do you trust: her rhetoric, or her record?
Phil Scott didn’t support any of these bills. While Minter was proposing tax increases and economic development cuts, Scott introduced legislation to streamline business permitting routes and appeals to improve the economic climate. Scott was a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to promote economic development in downtown areas by expanding economic incentives and benefits to town centers. Both of these pieces of legislation were incorporated into law.
Scott also co-sponsored legislation to expand financing to small businesses, enact tax credits for investments in Vermont businesses, create a partnership to invest funds in commercial and agricultural enterprises that enhance economic development, and create a sales tax holiday for certain types of purchases. He voted for similar legislation, which also included a R&D Tax Credit and a Sustainable Technology Export Tax Credit, which passed as part of Act 67. Phil Scott was focused on getting things done to make Vermont more affordable.
So when you enter the voting booth on Nov. 8, ask yourself: will you vote for the Minter record or the Scott record?
Edward Dublois, Manchester
