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>New remote worker must be an individual who is a full-time >employee as defined by the employer, who receives a W-2 from >their employer and is employed by a b

>New remote worker must be an individual who is a full-time >employee as defined by the employer, who receives a W-2 from >their employer and is employed by a business with its >domicile or primary place of business outside of Vermont. Freelancers and entrepreneurs are out of luck here. Unless Vermont hopes to pay for the program through employee payroll taxes, this restriction seems hopelessly arbitrary. Also note that funding is "First come, First served. You must first move to Vermont and (correctly) fill out several pieces of paperwork to find out if you applied in time. This seems like an awful way for one of the highest-tax states in the country to welcome remote workers.

maxxxxx 8y ago
This makes no sense to me either. A grant for small businesses AND remote workers would seem much more useful.
peller 8y ago
Yea. I finally moved out of Vermont after 10 years of it hindering my career opportunities. Saw this and thought about moving back for a second, except now I'm a small business instead of an employee, so no dice :(
- ianai 8y ago
  I hope they get it together. Vermont interests me from what little I know about it. What’s the culture like?
  - jimhefferon 8y ago
    The culture is great. One of the best reasons to live here.
  - peller 8y ago
    It's a funny state :) The greater Burlington area is generally very liberal/progressive, and where most of the "action" happens. The majority of the rest of the state is very rural (with all of the typical stereotypes - it might be north, but VT is still the whitest state in the nation). Sometimes that's not a bad thing - VT is huge on local/organic food, for example. Personally, I only ever lived in Burlington. There's a lot of "artsy" stuff, as well as a great outdoor scene. A tech scene exists too, but it's pretty small. I guess let me put it this way - for a young person, it's comparatively expensive, the schools are OK at best, and there's not a lot of opportunity. I'd retire there in a heartbeat though. Rent an AirBnB for a month or two before you decide if it's for you. In the summer, Burlington is one of the nicer places you can find yourself - great weather, you're right there on Lake Champlain, and most of the college kids are gone. That said, the winters are long, dark, and cold...
  - bearcobra 8y ago
    I loved living in Vermont and would move back to Franklin county, probably St. Albans, if I could. Being about an hour from Montreal (pretty easy access to all the cultural events that has to offer), 30-40 minutes to decent ski resorts, on the lake, and a having plenty of land for other activities was great. Having said that, the culture isn't for everyone. I found "real" Vermonters to be fiercely loyal and great neighbours, but were pretty skeptical of outsiders, particularly those who settle in Burlington, Stowe, or Manchester.
DFHippie 8y ago
>This seems like an awful way for one of the highest-tax states in the country to welcome remote workers. Yes, if your top metric for quality of life is income tax rate, Vermont is not the state for you.
- peller 8y ago
  It's more than just the taxes though, because not only are they high, but the salaries are significantly lower than just about every other major metropolitan area in the country, with a relatively similar cost of living to those places (at least comparing Chittenden County/the greater Burlington area).
  - Tehchops 8y ago
    Did some investigating when this was initially announced and we were considering moving. Like most anywhere else, desirable areas(good schools, near water, access to public services) in Vermont are just as expensive as elsewhere, on top of the high income taxes.
- zdragnar 8y ago
  My initial assumption was that the purpose of such a program was to attract new residents. If that's not the case, what purpose does the program serve?
- bogomipz 8y ago
  I believe the OP is referring to the fact that you have to relocate their first to find out if you qualified. In other words there is a risk involved. What does that have to do with quality of life metrics?

maxxxxx 8y ago

This makes no sense to me either. A grant for small businesses AND remote workers would seem much more useful.

peller 8y ago

Yea. I finally moved out of Vermont after 10 years of it hindering my career opportunities. Saw this and thought about moving back for a second, except now I'm a small business instead of an employee, so no dice :(

ianai 8y ago
I hope they get it together. Vermont interests me from what little I know about it. What’s the culture like?
- jimhefferon 8y ago
  The culture is great. One of the best reasons to live here.
- peller 8y ago
  It's a funny state :) The greater Burlington area is generally very liberal/progressive, and where most of the "action" happens. The majority of the rest of the state is very rural (with all of the typical stereotypes - it might be north, but VT is still the whitest state in the nation). Sometimes that's not a bad thing - VT is huge on local/organic food, for example. Personally, I only ever lived in Burlington. There's a lot of "artsy" stuff, as well as a great outdoor scene. A tech scene exists too, but it's pretty small. I guess let me put it this way - for a young person, it's comparatively expensive, the schools are OK at best, and there's not a lot of opportunity. I'd retire there in a heartbeat though. Rent an AirBnB for a month or two before you decide if it's for you. In the summer, Burlington is one of the nicer places you can find yourself - great weather, you're right there on Lake Champlain, and most of the college kids are gone. That said, the winters are long, dark, and cold...
- bearcobra 8y ago
  I loved living in Vermont and would move back to Franklin county, probably St. Albans, if I could. Being about an hour from Montreal (pretty easy access to all the cultural events that has to offer), 30-40 minutes to decent ski resorts, on the lake, and a having plenty of land for other activities was great. Having said that, the culture isn't for everyone. I found "real" Vermonters to be fiercely loyal and great neighbours, but were pretty skeptical of outsiders, particularly those who settle in Burlington, Stowe, or Manchester.

DFHippie 8y ago

>This seems like an awful way for one of the highest-tax states in the country to welcome remote workers. Yes, if your top metric for quality of life is income tax rate, Vermont is not the state for you.

peller 8y ago
It's more than just the taxes though, because not only are they high, but the salaries are significantly lower than just about every other major metropolitan area in the country, with a relatively similar cost of living to those places (at least comparing Chittenden County/the greater Burlington area).
- Tehchops 8y ago
  Did some investigating when this was initially announced and we were considering moving. Like most anywhere else, desirable areas(good schools, near water, access to public services) in Vermont are just as expensive as elsewhere, on top of the high income taxes.
zdragnar 8y ago
My initial assumption was that the purpose of such a program was to attract new residents. If that's not the case, what purpose does the program serve?
bogomipz 8y ago
I believe the OP is referring to the fact that you have to relocate their first to find out if you qualified. In other words there is a risk involved. What does that have to do with quality of life metrics?