Everyone in this country owes our military veterans a debt of gratitude. It's long past time for the Legislature to pay that debt forward.

Here's the issue: Vermont is just one of the few states that does not exempt military pensions from state income taxes. Finally, this year, the Legislature has taken steps to change that with a bill that would fully exempt the income tax on military pensions for Vermonters who make up to $125,000 a year. Those making $125,000-$175,000 would get a partial exemption.

Survivors of veterans who have earned these pensions would also qualify.

Gov. Phil Scott has long advocated for exempting military pensions from the income tax. So have I, dating back to my early days in the Legislature. The bill that includes the military pension exemption has passed the House as part of a comprehensive tax package; the Senate should swiftly follow suit.

The exemption makes sense on so many levels, both for moral and for policy reasons. First, many members of our Air and Army National Guard have told me the exemption would act as an incentive to keep our valued veterans here or entice others to move here. As it stands now, many military retirees have moved out-of-state to live in more tax-favorable places.

Veterans leave military service highly trained and with a great work ethic. It's a no-brainer that a state facing an acute workforce shortage should do everything in its power to keep skilled workers at home and on the job. Our businesses want and need skilled and disciplined help. Not to mention, our communities that benefit from their volunteer contributions as coaches, tutors, and first responders.

Second, we simply owe it to those who have sacrificed so much for our state and country. The Legislature's Joint Fiscal Office says about 2,210 military retirees would qualify for the full or partial exemption. The JFO estimates that the state would forego about $2.5 million a year in income taxes with the exemptions in place. I consider it a workforce and economic development investment.

Yes, it's real money in a very tight budget year. But surely our veterans are worth every penny.