Vermont lawmakers override Scott’s tax hike veto

(The Center Square) — Vermonters will be getting hit with a double-digit property tax increase next year after lawmakers overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of the legislation.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature on Monday overrode six bills vetoed by Scott after lawmakers wrapped up the session in May — setting a new record for vetoes in a single meeting — including a so-called “yield” bill that would result in an average statewide education property tax increase of nearly 14% next year.

Lawmakers also overrode vetoed bills overhauling Vermont’s decades-old land use law, a proposal banning seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides, and a bill establishing a renewable energy standard for the state.

Scott, a Republican, blasted the Legislature’s veto overrides, calling it a “sad day for Vermonters who simply cannot afford further tax burdens and cost increases.”

“Many will talk about these votes as a major loss for me, but it’s really a major loss for Vermont taxpayers, workers and families,” he said in a statement. “Despite having an opportunity for commonsense – and more equitable, and affordable — compromises, the Legislature chose to override many consequential bills I vetoed on behalf of Vermonters.”

The Vermont Department of Taxes has estimated an 18.5% rise in property taxes next year, driven by a 12% increase in education costs. Lawmakers were able to lower the property tax increase to an average of 13.8% by adding a tax for Vermont businesses that use software storage and a new 3% tax on short-term rentals.

But Scott vetoed the bill and sent it back to them, saying Vermonters can’t afford a double-digit tax increase. He called on Democrats to come up with a new proposal that reduces the burden on the state’s taxpayers. But legislative leaders dismissed his objections as “fiscally irresponsible” and voted to override the veto on Monday with little debate.

Democrats who approved the pesticide ban cited studies linking the chemicals to a reduction in bees and other pollinators and argued that the changes would improve public health and the environment.

Scott argued that the ban was unnecessary, based on recent scientific studies, and would significantly disadvantage Vermont farmers as they struggle with the impact of higher taxes, energy prices, crop losses associated with last year’s spring frost, and summer and winter floods.

Lawmakers overrode Scott’s objections to a proposal to overhaul Act 250 — Vermont’s 53-year-old land use law — expanding it to cover a majority of the state and set new incentives for housing and rules for protecting natural resources.

Scott said the new law will “make it harder, and in some cases impossible, to build and restore homes and grow businesses in smaller, rural communities, pushing them even further behind.”

Lawmakers also voted to override Scott’s veto of a bill expanding access to “restorative justice” programs and another that allows for the creation of an overdose prevention center in Burlington, where addicts will be able to inject drugs under the supervision of medical professionals.

Scott said his administration has focused on “trying to keep costs down for Vermonters” amid record high inflation, making housing “more affordable and more available, improving our education system for kids and taxpayers, and revitalizing communities so we can keep and attract the workers we desperately need.” He said lawmakers’ overrides derail those efforts.

“It is clear this Legislature, led by the supermajority, has little interest in compromise, listening to their constituents, or taking a moderate approach on any issue,” he said.