( – promoted by Jack McCullough)
The Save Our State coalition of citizens and advocates is hosting a Tax Day Filing Event to show that Vermonters support raising taxes rather than making serious cuts to human services and other essential programs and state institutions.
You can join the Save Our State effort by showing up at the Tax Department help window on Wednesday, April 15th at 10am (more details below).
More below the fold, and check out:
The S.O.S.-VT blog for more information. Email: SaveOurStateVT@gmail.com for information, or to get forms to fill out that can be sent to your legislative delegation or the Governor’s office.
Friends,
April 15th (tax-filing deadline) is an opportunity to show that many Vermonters are willing to pay a little more in taxes to preserve essential programs.
The Save Our State coalition has created an “SOS-EZ” mock tax form (“the ‘EZ’ way to ‘Save Our State’ – the form approximates the look of an actual 1040EZ form).
In addition to providing a place for the taxpayer to declare her/his support for a modest tax increase, we will list many of the programs that have been put at risk by the Administration.
We’re inviting YOU, and anyone else you think will participate to gather at 10am at the Tax Department “help” window at 133 State Street (2nd Floor) to present our forms to the state on April 15th at 10am. This event will send a message to the legislature and the Governor that:
* Vermonters are willing to pay more to preserve essential programs
* The “EZ” way to Save Our State costs less and raises more than the cuts and increases (on state employees and property tax payers) than the Governor’s plan, and saves essential programs for low-income and working Vermonters at a time when they need services the most.
* The Administration wants to raise taxes on property taxpayers (Education proposal), and on only certain families (state employees, non-profit sector).
* We say “we’re all in this together” and support broad tax policies that share and minimize the pain (median per capita income is app. $27,000); We could double what the Ways and Means committee has put forth (thereby eliminating any need for cuts) and the average surcharge for that taxpayer would still only be about $14 (or a little more than a dollar per month) according to Joint Fiscal.
* Contrast that amount with what the Administration wants: radically higher property taxes, and penalties on families in the non-profit sector of up to $3,000, or state employees’ families of up to $1,500 (plus increased health care costs), plus painful cuts to vital services, and the answer is clear: We must raise taxes to balance our budget.
What: SOS-EZ Tax Day Event
Why: To Support Raising Taxes in Vermont To Save Essential Programs
When: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Where: Tax Dept. Help Window (133 State Street, 2nd Floor)
Who: Save Our State Coalition
“This is no tea party, but then again this budget mess is no picnic, either!”
Hey, I like your idea! Add to the bottom of the form a line to specify the amount of money you would be willing to contribute to the ‘General Fund’ to support the programs listed. This would be like a volunteer tax (or surcharge) program. Send the form to the state tax department, so they can reduce your paycheck by the pledge amount.
In this way, people who want save these programs, at any price, can feel good that they directly contributed. For those who feel that these programs are either unnecessary or over funding can be comforted that they are not being over charged or over taxed.
Problem solved! I am sure such a program could raise $24M for FY10, $79M in FY11 and $173M in FY12, which are the revenue ‘short falls’, as projected by the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office