I.m.o. Government extortion of money via excessive taxation is the hidden parasite completely missed in the calculations. If one takes a look at all the taxation and fees (yes, they are taxes) extorted by government, you'd be amazed at how much is taken from your bottom line. Cut out the double, triple and quadruple taxation (local, county, state and federal) and perhaps that alone would make ends meet.
Anita, thanks so much for taking the time to read Jess's commentary and to comment. And you raise a good point; it would be interesting for us at The Record to look at exactly how much we pay in taxes and fees on an annual basis.
Sharp breakdown of Vermont's affordability crisis. The $25/hour for basic needs versus actual job availability gap is the data point most people ignore when they throw out "work harder" platitudes. My brother's family in Burlington dealt with this exact math problem three years ago, where even dual incomes couldn't bridge teh gap between what jobs paid and what living actually cost. The systemic framing is key here, its not about individual choices when the market fundamentals are this misaligned.
Thank you for reading my piece! I can’t begin to express my gratitude for being able to bring this to attention and to have the people like you, who will help put this issue into perspective for some who may not face it on a daily basis!
Jess- this is a post that so many of us can relate to. When I moved to Vermont 8 years ago, I was in awe with how hard Vermonters worked, how creative people were with multiple jobs etc. to make it survivable here. But it doesn’t have to be this way. IMO, tax the wealthy, the corporations, the second home owners. The inequities are wild. Thanks for the thoughtful post and the conversation!
I.m.o. Government extortion of money via excessive taxation is the hidden parasite completely missed in the calculations. If one takes a look at all the taxation and fees (yes, they are taxes) extorted by government, you'd be amazed at how much is taken from your bottom line. Cut out the double, triple and quadruple taxation (local, county, state and federal) and perhaps that alone would make ends meet.
Anita, thanks so much for taking the time to read Jess's commentary and to comment. And you raise a good point; it would be interesting for us at The Record to look at exactly how much we pay in taxes and fees on an annual basis.
Be well.
As James Talarico says,
"Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich"
Thanks for reading the piece and sharing that comment, Will.
Be well.
Sharp breakdown of Vermont's affordability crisis. The $25/hour for basic needs versus actual job availability gap is the data point most people ignore when they throw out "work harder" platitudes. My brother's family in Burlington dealt with this exact math problem three years ago, where even dual incomes couldn't bridge teh gap between what jobs paid and what living actually cost. The systemic framing is key here, its not about individual choices when the market fundamentals are this misaligned.
Thank you for reading my piece! I can’t begin to express my gratitude for being able to bring this to attention and to have the people like you, who will help put this issue into perspective for some who may not face it on a daily basis!
Thanks for commenting. I'm sure Jess appreciates hearing that her words resonated.
Jess- this is a post that so many of us can relate to. When I moved to Vermont 8 years ago, I was in awe with how hard Vermonters worked, how creative people were with multiple jobs etc. to make it survivable here. But it doesn’t have to be this way. IMO, tax the wealthy, the corporations, the second home owners. The inequities are wild. Thanks for the thoughtful post and the conversation!