lake_shoreline_030713_from_flickr_4946421987_a6151c3e7a_b.jpg

Pollution, Property Rights At Issue In Lakeshore Bill

A House committee will hold a hearing next week on a bill that calls for new protections for the shorelines of lakes and ponds, including buffer zones for new development to prevent polluting run-off. But some property owners are concerned that the bill would infringe on their property rights.

Midday Newscast: January 23, 2009

The Vermont House recommends a cut in the statewide property tax rate next year; in the Senate, a wide-ranging bill that would crack down on sex crimes won final approval earlier today; IBM’s Vermont factory is hurting; Vermont could become the first state with a "smart" electric grid.

Midday Newscast: December 11, 2008

Governor Jim Douglas is before a congressional committee at this hour to make a pitch for financial help for the states; before he left for Washington, Gov. Douglas weighed in on the future of the Vermont Yankee power plant;

House committee proposes income tax for education

The House Ways and Means Committee is backing a bill that would dramatically change how Vermonters pay for education. The residential property tax for education would be eliminated and replaced with a new income tax surcharge. As VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports, the legislation faces some major hurdles.

House Speaker, Governor at odds over capital gains tax

House Speaker Gaye Symington says Vermonters need property tax relief. And she wants to pay for it with $21 million dollars raised by eliminating a capital gains tax exemption. But Governor Jim Douglas rejects the idea. He says the Speaker is trying to launch new spending programs.

Promise of property tax reduction may disappear

Property taxpayers should not expect a reduction in statewide school taxes this year. That’s the message from Montpelier. The state has lowered its forecast for how much money will be collected in taxes. So that means little money for property tax relief. But the Douglas Administration and legislative leaders are in a political spat over what to do about it.