Socialist Party on Tax Reform Socialist Party Platform

Steeply graduated income tax, capital gains, & luxury tax

• We call for a steeply graduated income tax and a steeply graduated estate tax, and a maximum income of no more than ten times the minimum. We oppose regressive taxes such as payroll tax, sales tax, and property taxes.
• We call for the restoration of the capital gains tax and luxury tax on a progressive, graduated scale.
• We call for compensation to communities-- and compensation, re-training, and other support service for workers-- affected by plant and military base closings as stop-gap measures until we reach our goal of creating a socialist society totally separate from the global capitalist economy.
• We support tax benefits for renters equal to those for homeowners.
• We call for the elimination of subsidies and tax breaks that benefit corporations and all other forms of corporate welfare.

Steeply graduated income tax and estate tax

Limit maximum income to 10 times minimum income

Brian supports these summary positions from the Socialist Party Platform:
• minimum wage of $15 per hour, and cost-of-living increases
• support livable guaranteed annual income
• call for a steeply graduated income tax and estate tax, and a maximum income of no more than 10 times minimum.

More progressive taxation; especially on runaway industry

We call for full disclosure of corporate plans to close and relocate plants, a punitive tax on runaway industry, and compensation for the workers and communities affected by plant closings.

We support a single-payer National Health Program, publicly funded through progressive taxation, and controlled by democratically elected local boards.

1% room-and-meal tax instead of property tax

We did become the first municipality in Vermont to develop alternatives to the property tax. After a major struggle against many of the restaurant owners, we implemented a 1% room-and-meal tax. We also passed a classification system of taxation which raised to 120% the tax rate on commercial and industrial property.