March 22, 2019
by Rob Roper
Due very soon on the House floor is a measure to double taxes on home heating fuel and dyed diesel fuel. The bill, H. 439 – An act relating to the Home Weatherization Assistance Program, currently calls for a 2 cent tax per gallon increase (4 cents total) on heating fuels paid directly by the customer, plus a doubling of the gross receipts tax paid by the dealer from .75 to 1.5 cents a gallon. This, of course, gets passed along to the customer.
Springtime in Vermont!
In total, the Joint Fiscal Office estimates this will cost cold Vermonters an additional $9.3 million to heat their homes in 2020 and 2021. Just as an aside, I am now looking out the window as the first flakes of a foot or more snow storm greet the first days of spring!
So, what will this money be used for? The state’s home weatherization program. According to testimony from that program’s director, $500,000 allows for the weatherization of about forty-five homes, so this tax increase will allow them to weatherize over 400 homes. This is great – if you’re one of those lucky 400 homeowners who gets a free or subsidized weatherization job. But, if you’re a member of one of the other 240,000 plus Vermont households, this tax and this program sucks for you. You just get the bill for your neighbor’s new windows.
According to an article in Vermont Digger, “Rep. James Masland, D-Thetford, proposed an amendment this week to increase the taxes after hearing testimony from a government adviser, the Regulatory Assistance Project.” We reported on that testimony as well (though from a different committee) in “Non-Pricing” Carbon Reduction Relies on… Carbon Pricing!” These guys were peddling the notion that to lower Vermont’s carbon footprint it would require new government programs or more funding for existing government programs. And, such programs require new taxes – and not the “revenue neutral” kind – preferably on Carbon.
Well, here we go! This is a carbon by another name hidden in a different bill, but it is a carbon tax just the same.
–– Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Will somebody tell those idiots that carbon is not causing global warming and to quit taxing us average and low income Vermonters to death.
i know how u feel.
my aunt live in florida and had a house in vermont for summer had to sell it cause they were being propety taxed to death. sad part the hosue belonged to my great grandparent that none of us great grand kids will every get to inherate unless we buy out the lady that bought the house vermont relly pissing me off.
So true! It’s about the sun, for goodness sake. Serious education for those who watch.
https://youtu.be/bMr-5HHnAmU
I’m a bit confused. I thought Efficiency Vermont….and all the taxes they charge on my electric bill was for “home weatherization”. Are we being double taxed for the same thing?
Yes!
And they wonder why people are moving out of vermont.stupid people with stupid ideas.why pay people to move here lower the taxes and people will stay
What Bullshit I need to move out of this state
What is the income limit to get the free weatherization? How poor so you have to be?
This makes NO sense.We the lower middle class are in BIG TROUBLE if this happens! Barely scrape by as it is.Pray it stops snowing every year at this time.This isn’t being brought to the table by people who have EVER had this problem.Wish for one year they could go through what some of us do.
If this is so dumb then what are your ideas to reduce emissions and prevent global climate change? Someone has to do something to protect our planet’s future so why not start here? Will it encourage you to be more conscious about how you use your fuel? If yes, then it’s done its job, and your children and grandchildren will thank you.
Ben, I’m sorry to break this to you, but global warming has been happening since the end of the ice age! Alao, taxing the Vermonters is not going to amount to anything except making Vermont less affordable and buniness unfriendly.
Also, no matter how much money we give the people in Montpelier, they will never be satisfied and will continue to waste our money.
When does it end?
People can’t afford to live here as it is.
Sorry to say, I am already very conscious of the fuel being used. I do my part already by carpooling, if possible, using reusable bags. contributing to the efficiency charge on my electric bill, paying a fuel tax at the pumps (but that money must be being used to fix the crater sized potholes in the roads). The list in endless.
This doesn’t stop at just heating your home.
It will directly affect food that is produced in Vermont
From Maple syrup to anything else that uses this form of heating to help crops start out.
I keep hearing this “ climate change “ isn’t happening thing or it’s been going on all the time or carbon is a good thing , and so on .
When 97% of all climate scientists say it is happening and it’s caused by humans and it’s happening faster and faster, and it will only get worse.
Where are you getting your information from? Your last Disney land trip?
We already had a hurricane here . What exactly are you waiting for to change your mind ? You have the numbers for what we will have to pay for lattter compared to now ?
I’d really like to know where your ideas are coming from . What experts do you know that somehow the rest of the known world dose not know about. ?
Poor farmers are suffering right now all over the Midwest and it’s just bad luck ? What proof do you have that warm air dose not hold more water and that water is now washing away farmers way of life right now.
When such life altering and expensive “solutions” to man-made CO2 emissions are taking place and more an more radical initiatives are being proposed in the name of “climate change”, it is critical to understand how the 97% statistic came about and has been subsequently misused. You’ve said you really want to know why others disagree with the AGW claim (no one denies the climate changes, just what part CO2 plays and whether man-made CO2 will have catastrophic results) and where we get the information. If you are sincere in this request, you need only go to the Internet/YouTube and start your own study. I’ll post a couple of links to get you started. It’s an eye opening journey – a matter of the Red pill or the Blue pill; your free choice to pursue or not. For how the 97% stat was achieved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSrjAXK5pGw&t=157s
For more info on the issue overall, start here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh-DNNIUjKU&t=53s
https://youtu.be/bMr-5HHnAmU
Too bad they “re-purposed” the Waterbury Looney Bin. It would have been a great place to get the likes of Ben, and Thaddeus, off the streets and safe from inflicting self-harm and damage to Vermont’s economy. “Climate change” will, soon, be proven to be total silliness, driven by the ‘scientists’ in-search-of government grants and noteriety.
How old are you William, Allan & Roger, you sound like outdated whiners. And if not, ouch. The climate is not static, we know this. So to say the climate has been changing since the ice age is true, but the rate of change due to human consumption of fossil fuels has thrown climate change into hyper speed, please, go read some science journals on the subject. I look at my seven year old and think ohhh shit, we are leaving them a disaster. To use energy wisely, to make improvements for efficiency, to shift our current course is now a requirement. What you should be complaining about is the greedy corporations and the extremely wealthy persons hoarding the riches, dodging taxes, taking advantage of the working class. We are all a part of this functioning economy, and because we don’t fight for what should be a fair, equanimous, and less stressful life, we lash out against the very things that we should be supporting. So yes, it is unfair, it is stressful to pay another tax, but your anger is misdirected. Also, it will get you no where, fight the real fight people.
Power to the people. Down with the proletariate. Marx and Engles would love you.
https://youtu.be/bMr-5HHnAmU
any one call china to ask them to stop changing the climate .with co2.coal
This has to be stopped and the people pushing this on us MUST be removed from power!!
So, at a time when the legislature is trying to come up with ways to attract new workers to come to Vermont they decide, “Hey, I’ve got a perfect idea. Why don’t we make it even more expensive to live here or operate a business here. That is just the ticket.”
This is right up there with people who express concern about small local general stores closing and then vote on legislation to raise the minimum wage by ~50%.
Oh, nevermind. It is exactly the same people. People who artificially raise the price of, some, sweetened beverages to get people to consume less but don’t believe artificially raising the price of doing business will lead to less business.