Fiscal Alliance Foundation expands to Vermont
Bringing the mission of fiscal responsibility, government transparency, and data-driven public policy to the Green Mountain State.
Fiscal Alliance Foundation / Serving New England / Vermont
Vermont Chapter · Launched 2026
It's time to bring a fiscal accountability voice to Vermont.
Many Vermonters fear they won't be able to stay here because of the crushing cost of living. With government spending significantly outpacing economic growth and inflation for far too long, the burdens on Vermont taxpayers are very real. Vermonters are looking for informed, fiscally responsible voices to advocate for better policies and a better future. Fiscal Alliance is that voice.
For thirty years Vermont has been at the forefront of an experiment with progressive policies. We can now say definitively that the experiment has failed.
It hasn't always been this way. And it does not need to continue.
62%
Increase in Vermont state spending since 2019 — nearly double the rate of inflation
Vermont state budget
30%
Faster property tax growth than the national average, to pay for a broken school system
Education finance
#1
Most expensive health care in the nation, more than a decade after a failed single-payer experiment
Healthcare costs
#4
Highest state and local tax burden in the country
Tax burden
#3
Fastest shrinking state for private sector jobs
Employment
#4
Highest per capita homeless population — and the fastest rising anywhere in the nation
Homelessness
#2
Highest education costs in the nation, with the fastest declining results
Education outcomes
#50
Lowest rate of economic growth, with the fastest shrinking population per capita
Economic growth
The progressive path we have been on clearly is not working, and we are not going to grow our way out of excessive spending.
Fiscal Alliance Foundation — VermontFive fronts where Vermont's fiscal decisions are being made right now.
Education
In our quest for equitable education, our children have been left behind and property taxes have increased 30% faster than the national average to pay for a system that is broken. Unions have the mic, but the data does not lie. We know the cost drivers, and our kids deserve better.
See the research →Taxes
Vermont already has one of the most progressive tax systems in the nation. Pushing for more has made the state less competitive at attracting residents and businesses — and is literally driving them out. Reversing this requires tax reform and accountability for our spending.
See the research →Energy
Energy costs matter. Policies promising a green-energy Vermont are unrealistic while putting the burden on those least able to afford it. Our energy policies must be based on realistic assumptions and thorough cost-benefit analysis.
See the research →Healthcare
Choices matter. Through over-regulation we have reduced choices. Our single payer experiment failed over a decade ago and has cost us dearly — while Vermont now carries the most expensive health care in the country.
See the research →Property Rights
For many Vermonters, our land is our greatest asset. We are the best stewards of our own land — but that principle has recently come under attack.
See the research →Something we're missing?
The issues list for each chapter is set locally. If there's a Vermont fiscal issue we should be tracking, tell us.
Contact the Vermont chapterThe latest from Vermont
Outsourcing responsibility: Vermont's unelected boards
The Legislature writes broad statutes and hands the details to appointed boards and commissions — diffusing responsibility and accountability.
Would a solar array fix one problem and create a second?
A 4.3-megawatt array in Petersham would cut roughly 980 tons of emissions while clear-cutting 14 acres of forest.
Watch: the case in five minutes
Short explainers on where Vermont's money actually goes.
What 30 years of progressive policies did to Vermont
Vermont has a spending problem
Vermont spends nearly twice the national average on schools. Results are getting worse.
How Vermont spent $150 million and made homelessness worse
Why health insurance is so expensive in Vermont
$30,000 per student and falling test scores in Vermont
We're just getting started. Vermont is at a pivotal time.
Every dollar you pledge goes toward bringing facts to Vermont voters so they can make informed decisions. Help us get the word out with a tax-deductible contribution, and stay in touch.
Read the Vermont research
Every study, op-ed, and analysis the chapter has published so far.
Browse Vermont workWhat we bring to Vermont
FAF has recently branched out to Vermont, establishing boots-on-the-ground expertise with decades of local knowledge and relationships. We are taking the foundational elements and expertise the Foundation has built over the past decade and using them to fast-track what can be done here. The issues are similar. Local knowledge is key.
Vermont has had a gap in true non-partisan, fiscally minded policy expertise. The Vermont of the past was frugal and knew how to make a dollar go further. What we do right now, at this pivotal point, will determine the viability of this state.
Through research, polling, and legal programs, the Fiscal Alliance Foundation will provide Vermont lawmakers, government officials, and the general public with the independent and non-partisan resources they need to make educated and informed decisions.
With a 62% increase in spending in Vermont since 2019 — nearly double the rate of inflation — we need accountability for where taxpayer dollars are spent, and an end to the madness of unfunded mandates. Fiscal Alliance will help you, the taxpayer, understand where your money is going and what the results are.