Vermont’s Silent Taxpayers: How Seasonal Homeowners Pay the Bill But Have No Vote

By Alexandra York

It became the “war cry” igniting the spark that led to America’s revolution against Great Britain. The 1764 Sugar Act, which imposed duties on sugar and molasses, was followed by the 1765 Stamp Act requiring official stamps on all printed materials—including newspapers—marking the beginning of the conflict.

The escalation came with the 1767 Townshend Acts, levying taxes on imported goods such as glass, paper, paint, and tea. This culminated in the infamous 1773 Boston Tea Party, where New Englanders threw a British shipload of tea into the sea in direct protest.

Prior to this, colonists had demonstrated against taxes through petitions to England and even boycotts of certain products. But taxing their daily drink—tea—proved too much for patience.

Unfortunately, rather than easing the burden after the Boston Tea Party, the British responded with the punitive Intolerable Acts, which tightened control instead of relaxing it. This united Americans under one voice.

The principle “taxation without representation” captures the core idea that citizens should not be taxed by any government in which they have no participation.

Historically, Britain controlled trade and foreign policy, but colonies managed their internal affairs through local assemblies. At its heart, this phrase reflects a timeless issue: taxes are a form of political power, political power requires accountability, and accountability requires representation—a principle that became foundational to American constitutional government and remains central to debates about civic rights.

Today, the same injustice persists in the United States. While Americans vote for representation at federal and state levels, part-time property owners—many of whom cannot vote in municipal elections despite paying local property taxes—face a system designed against them.

This issue is particularly acute in Vermont, where towns with high concentrations of seasonal homeowners pay substantial property taxes but have no say in how that money is spent. The state has allowed certain non-U.S. citizens, such as Green Card holders, to vote in municipal elections despite not having full representation rights for taxpaying residents.

The towns most affected include Stratton (93% seasonal housing units), Dover and Winhall (76–79% seasonal), Ludlow (68%), Wilmington (60%), and Londonderry (46% with out-of-state mailing addresses).

These communities, clustered near popular ski areas like Stratton, Bromley, Okemo, Mt. Snow, and Magic Mountains, highlight a growing crisis. Part-time homeowners—often with expensive properties—pay the highest property taxes but cannot vote in local elections where their money is spent. Compounding the issue: many of these residents’ children do not attend the schools funded by their taxes.

Vermont has recently increased property taxes on second homes to 3.62% at the purchase point and is considering further hikes, including a new classification for part-time homes that could nearly double taxes in some cases.

The state legislature’s push to raise taxes without granting representation mirrors colonial-era tensions—a modern-day “tea party” not over tea but over legislators who tax without listening.

This crisis extends beyond Vermont. Across the nation, part-time homeowners bear the burden of local taxation with no voice.