Public Assets weighs in on the state budget in the Sunday New York Times

Posted by Sarah Lyons on April 25, 2011 at 1:15 pm

As the only state in the union that does not require lawmakers to balance its budget, Vermont caught the interest of the New York Times this Sunday. In the piece, Public Assets Institute senior analyst Jack Hoffman comments on the governor’s use of deficit spending in the serious recession 20 years ago, which helped get the economy back on its feet while maintaining essential state services.

Today, Vermont can…

When is a broad-based tax not a broad-based tax?

Posted by Jack Hoffman on April 14, 2011 at 3:35 pm

Gov. Peter Shumlin has been clear in saying he doesn’t want to raise broad-based taxes, and for the most part Democratic leaders in the Legislature have supported him. But in light of some of the bills passed by the Vermont House recently, it’s understandable if a lot of people are confused.

At the governor’s urging, the House passed a bill to increase taxes on health care providers. The House didn’t…

Time to Rethink the Rainy Day Funds

Posted by Jack Hoffman on March 7, 2011 at 10:23 am

In his budget address in January, Gov. Peter Shumlin urged the Legislature to increase the state’s reserves as soon as the economy improves and Vermont can start saving again. He’s on the right track. This recent recession has shown that Vermont’s rainy day funds are not adequate to respond to a serious economic collapse. But there is more the Legislature should do to update these reserve funds. One place they…