Roll Call! House Doubles Tax on Home Heating Fuels (81-60), 2019

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PASSED
in the State House of Representatives
on March 26, 2019, by a vote of
81-60
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Purpose: To double the tax on on the retail sale of heating oil, propane, kerosene, and other dyed diesel fuel delivered to a residence or business from $0.02 to $0.04 per gallon, and to impose a gross receipts tax of 1.0 percent on the retail sale of natural gas and 1.5 percent on the retail sale of coal. The estimated $4.6 million tax will be used to increase funding for the state’s low-income weatherizaton program.
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Analysis: Those voting NO argued that this was just a “carbon tax” (a tax on fossil fuels for the purpose of lowering Vermont’s carbon footprint), which many had promised not to support while campaigning.  Doubling the tax on home heating fuel on all Vermonters is an extreme increase, a regressive tax, and places an undue burden on low income Vermonters and those living on a fixed income. They also noted that the state Weatherization Program already receives significant funding from other sources.
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Those voting YES argued that the Weatherization Program is critical to fighting climate change.
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As Recorded in the House Journal, Tuesday, March 26, 2019: “Shall the bill be amended as recommended by the Committee on Ways and Means? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 81. Nays, 60.” (Read the Journal, p. 670-676.)
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RelatedRoll Call! House Exempts Farmers and Loggers from fuel tax (74-66) 

How They Voted

Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES
Robert Bancroft (R – Westford) – NO
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES
Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO
Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – NO
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – NO
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO
Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – NO
Cynthia Browning (D – Arlington) – NO
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO
Mollie Burke (P – Brattleboro) – YES
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES
William Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO
James Carroll (D – Bennington) – YES
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES
Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P – Middletown Springs) – YES
Annmarie Christensen (D – Weathersfield) – YES
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES
Brian Cina (P – Burlington) – YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES
Selene Colburn (P – Burlington) – YES
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – ABSENT
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES
Charles Conquest (D – Newbury) – YES
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – NO
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES
Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO
Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – NO
Eileen Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO
Johannah Donovan (D – Burlington) – ABSENT
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES
Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO
Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – NO
Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO
Robert Forguites (D – Springfield) – YES
Marianna Gamache (R – Swanton) – NO
John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES
Marcia Gardner (D – Richmond) – NO
Dylan Giambatista (D – Essex) – YES
Diana Gonzalez (P – Winooski) – ABSENT
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO
Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO
Sandy Haas (P – Rochester) – YES
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO
Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – YES
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO
Matthew Hill (D – Wolcott) – NO
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES
Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES
Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – ABSENT
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES
Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES
Benjamin Jickling (I – Randolph) – NO
Mitzi Johnson (D – Grand Isle) – NOT VOTING
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES
Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES

Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING
Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES
Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – ABSENT
Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO
William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – ABSENT
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES
Terence Macaig (D – Williston) – YES
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO
Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO
James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES
Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES
Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO
James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES
Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO
Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES
Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO
Linda Myers (R – Essex) – NO
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO
William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – NO
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES
Jean O’Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES
Woodman Page (R – Newport) – NO
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – NO
John Palasik (R – Milton) – NO
Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES
David Potter (D – Clarendon) – YES
Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Constance Quimby (R – Concord) – NO
Barbara Rachelson (D – Burlington) – YES
Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – YES
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – NO
Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO
Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES
Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO
Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES
Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO
Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – YES
Mary Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES
Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – NO
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES
Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO
George Till (D – Jericho) – YES
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES
Catherine Toll (D – Danville) – YES
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO
Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES
Matthew Trieber (D – Rockingham) – YES
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES
Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YES
Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – ABSENT
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES
David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES
Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES
Samuel Young (D – Greensboro) – NO

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Jim Alexander March 28, 2019 at 8:59 pm

At some point we will have to break the habit of always increasing taxes on poor and middle income Vermonters, just so the Progressives can grab another political win? I am sad to see we have not reached that point yet?

Reply

Irma Nagle March 28, 2019 at 9:07 pm

Robin Chestnut Tangerman is our representative. I told him how strongly I felt about more taxes. Especially on fuel. The retired elderly people around me are barely able to pay for heating oil as it is. State says that they have too much money to get any help.
I see them struggling, but, obviously, no one in Montpelier cares.
Just spend, spend, spend with no accountability.

I am now going to spend my time getting him ousted for not voting the way that the people here wanted him to vote. I think that everyone needs to start paying attention

Reply

Nancy Reed March 31, 2019 at 1:09 pm

My husband and I are both retired and you want to add more taxes..Heating our home is getting impossible as is it for so many others..all we hear is , Well we will just tax the Vermonters more..when will it end, when we all freeze to death. Plus the guide lines for any help are so low that you have to be on welfare to get any help, and we have way to many young people that are just to lazy to work..

Reply

Tom April 1, 2019 at 1:38 am

I cannot afford to live in Vermont anymore . My three sons are smarter than I am they moved out along time ago they knew that they were not able to live in the state they were born in all three of them are making a very good living . What are you people thinking you offer $10,000 for people to move to Vermont ,and you can’t even keep your people here . Give me $10,000 to be able to keep my house heated during heating season ten months out of the year. My gosh people we are not all wealthy ..
Save your present full time residents and stop this state price gouging on everything .

Reply

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