Speaker visits Ways&Means

[Carolyn Branagan]

When the Speaker of the House visits a legislative committee is it usually for a very serious reason. That was true today when Speaker Smith came to room 34 to visit the Ways and Means Committee.  His message: come up with $35 million to balance the budget.

The Governor’s budget contains a shortfall of just over $170 million. He proposes to make up the shortfall by reducing spending in the Human Service Agency and use some carry over money from FY2011. That leaves $35 million, the amount the Speaker told the Ways and Means Committee to raise.

So what is the committee thinking? We’re looking closely at a proposal from the governor to rebase a tax on providers of health services. These providers include hospitals, home health agencies, managed care organizations, nursing homes and dentists.  His proposal for dentists is supposed to raise $6 million, but at this point seems to be dead. So does the tax on Managed Care organizations.

What else? The Speaker said today that he would not support increasing the soda/sweetened beverage tax, nor any of the sin taxes. This year at least.   

Work continues. Vermont has a tradition of passing balanced budgets and my impression is that somehow we will do so again this year. Stay tuned. The legislature, including the Ways and Means Committee, has a lot of work ahead. I’ll try to stop once in a while and keep you updated. Contact me anytime cbranagan@leg.state.vt.us  I want to hear from you.

Rep. Carolyn Branagan
Franklin-1, Fairfax/Georgia
Vermont House of Representatives

[trussell]

Thank you Carolyn- and everyone else- for working hard to pass a balanced budget.  Although cutting back can be difficult, I think it's necessary right now.  The last thing we need is more debt!

[rod anode]

face it they are going to raise taxes to cover their butts ,what taxes is the only question you have to ask ,will it be on businesses or will it be on the greedy rich people {according to bernie sanders },or will it be on the middle class,they cant tax gas any more than what they have ,they cant tax tabacco any more than they have ,but 500 million is alot of money to make up

[Thor]

Does it really matter if he raises our taxes or just increases the costs we have to pay providers? Either way he is getting it from us. But sold to everyone this way, it simply means he is "keeping his word" on not raising our taxes. Shumlin is dumb, like a fox.

Pretty hilarious that Vermont has "a tradition of passing a balanced budget".... just don't seem to have a tradition of being able to live by it.

[cedarman]

Personally, i have no problem with taxing non-essential items (soda, tobacco, beer, alcohol).  Yes, I consume alcohol (and an occassional soda), BUT I can simply buy less if I choose, and thereby reduce the total I pay in taxes.
IF those taxes serve the purpose of reducing people's consumption of products that we all know are not good for us in large quantities, THAT will help lower the overall cost of healthcare in the state.  Maybe that should be a higher priority than placing a tax on a healthcare system that already cost too much for basic care.