On March 25, 2010, the Vermont House of Representatives adopted a series of amendments to H.783, “An Act Relating to Miscellaneous Tax Provisions.” One of the amendments crafted by their Ways and Means Committee directed Vermont’s 6 percent sales tax to be applied to the sale of dietary supplements. Previously, supplements — like food — were exempt from the state’s sales tax.
The tax bill, which passed in the Vermont House, now awaits a vote in the State Senate Finance Committee this week. Wasting no time, local activists have let their legislators know that there will be a fight over implementing this new tax on dietary supplements. This past week, dozens of local organizations mobilized to defeat what they call the “vitamin tax.”
“Taxing dietary supplements is contrary to good public-health policy,” said Dolly Fleming, representing the Council of Vermont Elders. “The vitamin tax is a step backward in making healthcare more affordable,” said Jill Krowinski, director of communications for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
The chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee, Ann Cummings, apparently got the message and recently stated on local television that “there isn’t a lot of traction in my committee or the Senate for a vitamin tax.” Even Vermont’s Gov. Jim Douglas weighed in on the issue, saying he sees no logic in the proposal. “I don’t support any new taxes,” Douglas declared.
ANH-USA is working to make sure that Vermont’s legislators listen to their constituents and commonsense.
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“Live free or die” Oh yeah that is next door.
Perhaps what these “legislators” do not understand is that for MANY people, perhaps often a MAJORITY, supplements are a TREATMENT or prevention of disease; no matter what the corrupt FDA fallaciously thinks.
Then again perhaps they do know.
Get the expensive and deadly Medical Death complex out of our lives and out of our money, and out of our government! We want to be healthy and we should NOT be taxed to do so!! That’s criminal! Get real.
Tax drugs instead why don’t you. Tax companies that use chemicals that pollute the world and make us sick in the first place. The vitamin tax is yet another ploy to keep us all poor and sick and make everyone dependent on drugs!! see it for what it is.
Give me freedom or give me death. indeed.
What Vermont is proposing seems to fly in the face of everything that promotes good health habits and prevention of disease. Taking a daily multiple vitamin has been proven over and over again to promote better health and well-being. The same goes for good nutrition and exercise. We are trying to prevent disease by taking better care of ourselves. Isn’t that the point of Health Care and disease prevention. Why would any one with common sense try to make it more expensive for consumers to follow a path to good health? Natural nutritious foods and natural vitamins work in concert with the human body, unlike big pharamaceutical drugs which are more of a mystery. They have to be tested for long periods of time and drugs don’t act the same on every human body. Many times drugs are an experimentation on treating disease.
When are they going to tax the air we breathe? How about investigating the processing of the “food” we get now? If it was done properly there would be no reason to supplement our diets with the vitamins and minerals that are depleted in our food supply.
I always disliked skiing in Vermont but I went anyway because herbal products were inexpensive to treat my colds and the winter virus. Now I guess it is going to cost me and the family for doctor visits and prescription drugs.
Maybe I’ll go to Montana next year.
Why aren’t they taxing all the really unhealthy stuff like sodas, candy, cakes, cookies, fast food, French fries, and so. Why tax the stuff that helps keep you healthy unless you really don’t want the people to be healthy. This is just plain sick.
I have visited your website before. The more I read, the more I keep coming back! ;-P