Vermont has a problem retaining a skilled workforce and that erodes our tax base. One solution is to incentivize military retirees to move to, or stay in Vermont. The advantages for our state would be these retirees are generally highly skilled, in their late 30’s, with families, looking for second careers after the military. Most other states do not tax military retirement pay, and that is where most retirees move. In fact, we are in direct competition with all surrounding states for these highly skilled workers, and we are losing to them. Why? Because Vermont does tax military retirement pay, so we lose those workers to other states and we fail to capture others when they retire. Currently Vermont is one of only five states in the US that fully taxes a military members military retirement income. Removing retirement pay from state income tax is a short term cost for a long term gain of income tax revenue if people stay in Vermont or move to our state. This should help us reduce the short term pain legislators are worried about to fund programs. So how can you help? Final call to action: write your local representative /state senator conveying your position on this issue (connect with your representative at https://legislature.vermont.gov/). You may also consider writing a piece for your local newspaper or media outlet.
Here is a PDF summary of the 2021 Veteran/Military Related Legislation Still in Committees.