Tired of Taxes, Vermont Ski Resort Town Considers Joining New Hampshire [See ya Dean..]

TBO.COM ^

[Sub-Driver]

Tired of Taxes, Vermont Ski Resort Town Considers Joining New Hampshire The Associated Press

KILLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Officials in the popular ski resort area of Killington want the town to secede from Vermont and join neighboring New Hampshire in a dispute over taxes. They say the town's restaurants, inns and other businesses send $10 million a year to the state capital in sales, room and meal taxes, but the state returns just $1 million in state aid to Killington.

Even more galling to the town is a statewide property tax imposed in 1997 to fund schools. The town of 1,092 won a Superior Court order that called the state's method of assessing local properties "arbitrary and capricious," but the state Supreme Court reversed that decision.

"It kind of reminds us of Colonial days," Town Manager David Lewis said Thursday. "The Colonies were being faced with the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, the Sugar Act. England wasn't giving them any rights. They were treating the Colonies as just a revenue source."

New Hampshire, just 25 miles east, has no income tax or sales tax.

Killington's Select Board wants to put the secession idea before voters on Town Meeting Day in March.

Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz said Killington has little chance of secession "absent an armed insurrection type of thing. ... A town is a construction of the state and exists at the pleasure of the Legislature."

New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan said he would be flattered if Vermont wanted to join New Hampshire - but he's not making any promises.

In Killington, not everyone likes the idea.

"I love having a Vermont address. I'm proud of it. It's a cool place to live," said resident Steven Kelly.

[Poser]

Two family houses go for about 150K here. That would be between $2K and $3K in taxes. Same as where you live. Don't delude yourself. Your lower tax rate is offset by your higher valuation.

[HostileTerritory]

We can swap anecdotes until the cows come home.

[reg45]

If this catches on, DuPage county may secede from the Socialist Peoples Democratic Republic of Illinois.

[Poser]

"We can swap anecdotes until the cows come home."

Right you are. See my post 21 for the difinitive answer. Mass is number 3 in total taxation. NH is number 49. Mass taxes are *much* higher then NH.

[HostileTerritory]

Last time: Your claim was about PROPERTY TAXES vs. PROPERTY TAXES.

No one denies that our overall taxes are higher here.

[Poser]

"Last time: Your claim was about PROPERTY TAXES vs. PROPERTY TAXES. "

I can tell you are getting frustrated. I had no intention of irritating anyone or raising your blood pressure even one point. Sorry.

The tax rate means nothing. The tax bill is what counts. An average single family house on a half acre of land with a garage is taxed between $1,500 and $3,500 in NH. Same as Mass.

Honest. I've lived in both places. Every time somebody from ME, VT or MA tell me "Yes, but your property tax is high," I compare my bill with theirs. They are about the same. My city, Rochester, has one of the highest property tax rates in the state. I pay about $3K.

Have the adult beverage of your choice on me and watch the football game. No more politics today.