(Host) Governor Jim Douglas appears ready to reject a state budget if it includes new taxes.
Douglas says the budget that passed the House last week is unacceptable because it contains $24 million in new taxes.
(Douglas) "They’re proposing an income tax increase, a gas tax increase, they’ve already increased property taxes by an average of 2.2 percent next year. They’re proposing an estate tax increase. I used to say as you know, that Vermont is an unaffordable place to live, now they want to make it an unaffordable place to die. They’re taxing everything."
(Host) Douglas rarely says if he will veto a bill, although he made an exception with the recent same-sex marriage legislation.
(Douglas) "But I think I’ve made my position pretty clear. That tax bill contains taxes on just about everything."
(Host) The 2010 state budget just made it to the Senate. It’s usually one of the last bills voted on in the legislative session.