The common wisdom is that Vermont is a high tax state and New Hampshire is a low tax state. I have been reading that gasoline prices actually are lower in Vermont than in neighboring states, largely due to a lower state gasoline tax. And I wondered whether perhaps the gasoline tax is an area in which Vermont actually is a low tax state in relative terms. So I visited the web site of the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit tax research organization offering extensive information about the relative tax burdens of U.S. states on its web site at www.taxfoundation.org/about/. I was surprised to learn that the total tax burden for individuals in Vermont is actually not much higher than the total tax burden for individuals in New Hampshire. The real difference is business taxes.  Read the full post....

I have been looking at the role of nonprofits in the Vermont economy. I just learned about Community Capital of Vermont, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aimed at injecting vital investment into the entrepreneurial economy at the critical start-up phase, to support economic development, financial independence, job creation and the creative economy.  This is a great example of how a nonprofit can directly support the for-profit economy....  Read the full post.

My blog posting on "Vermont's Thriving Nonprofit Sector..." (May 26, 2008) addresses how Vermont’s robust nonprofit sector enhances our state’s economy both directly, by providing good jobs and attracting dynamic people to Vermont, and indirectly, by enhancing the social infrastructure which is critical to economic growth. The new L3C law passed by the Vermont Legislature makes it easier for private foundations to directly invest in Vermont’s economy without jeopardizing their favorable tax-exempt status. The L3C law is another avenue for cross-pollination between the nonprofit sector (including private foundations) and our for-profit economy.... Read the full post.

Submit your questions about L3Cs as comments here, and we will address them in our firm's upcoming FAQs on L3Cs, to be posted at www.dinse.com.

It is widely known that Vermont’s economy includes an extensive nonprofit sector. There is a difference of opinion as to the value of the nonprofit sector to the economy.  The nonprofit sector builds and supports Vemont's social infrastructure, which is critical to economic development, in ways that government and business cannot replicate... Read the full post.

On April 2, 2008, the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) issued a report entitled “The Green Economy and Environmental Enterprise in Vermont”.  The Report concludes, among other things, that the “green” sector includes a variety of industries, not just the green energy industry.  The Report also concludes that all Vermont businesses have an important role in developing a green economy in Vermont, not just companies offering green products and services...  Read the full post.

I have heard the suggestion that it’s hard for Vermont to compete with northern New York for new residents who can choose to live in either state. Some people say the cost of living is so much lower on the other side of Lake Champlain, why live in Vermont when you can live over in New York? Based on my personal experiences in both places, I don’t believe Vermont is at any disadvantage with respect to the Plattsburgh area of New York... Read the full post.

I have been considering the degree of progress already made toward developing The Green Valley as a magnet sector in Vermont’s economy. Official statements on The Green Valley from State officials focus on green energy companies...Read the full post.

The entire cast of NBC's Today Show broadcast on location from Sugarbush Mountain Resort on Thursday, February 21, 2008.  It was fun to see Meredith Viera do the penguin plunge (which incidentally, rumor has it, was re-created just for her that week after she read about it on-line while preparing for their Vermont broadcast...Read the full post.

In September 2007 the State of Vermont held a party in Boston to woo current residents of the Boston area who have Vermont connections, such as alumni of Vermont colleges and universities, back to Vermont. The party was hosted by the Vermont Department of Economic Development (DED) as part of its “PursueVT” initiative to attract a skilled workforce, www.pursuevt.org.... Read the full post.

Janice Shade and a couple of her former colleagues from Seventh Generation envisioned a new product that will be a welcome addition to supermarket shelves: a 100% natural traditional bar soap at a price point comparable to soaps like Dial and Ivory and on the same grocery shelf. There’s nothing like it on the market...Read the full post.