Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Change brings to head debate about whether to rely upon the gas tax or the sales tax. What do you think?
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, February 13
By Whitney Spicer Capital News Service RICHMOND – The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved an amended version of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s transportation funding bill, opting to raise the gasoline tax instead of replacing the gas tax with a higher sales tax. The committee voted 9-6 for a substitute to House Bill 2313, which the governor hopes will fund billions of dollars in road and transit projects. The only committee member who represents Loudoun, Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27), voted against the substitute. “Today’s vote continues the legislative process,” McDonnell said afterward. “Now, we must work together to finish it with approval of a common-sense, fiscally responsible transportation plan that both works for Virginia’s citizens …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The governor visited Fairfax County on Monday to rally support for his transportation bill, promising some money to reduce fees on the Dulles Toll Road.
Gov. Bob McDonnell made a stop in Northern Virginia on Monday afternoon to urge locals to push their representatives to support his divisive transportation-funding package, which the state Senate is scheduled to vote on again Tuesday. The governor said his proposal, which failed to pass the Senate in a partisan, 20-20 vote last week, would raise about $3 billion for road and transit improvements over the next five years. The bill would eliminate the state’s 17.5-cents-per-gallon gas tax and raise the state sales tax from 5 percent to 5.8 percent. The House last week amended their version of the bill, eliminating a $100 alternative vehicle fee for owners of hybrid cars and prohibiting tolls on I-95 south of Fredericksburg. Senate …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Funding package was derailed by Virginia Senate Democrats late Tuesday, though the House version of the legislation still has a chance for approval.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, February 7
By Whitney Spicer and Alix Hines, Capital News Service All 20 of Virginia's Democratic senators — including Loudoun-area Sens. Mark Herring (D-33) and Barbara Favola (D-31) — voted against Gov. Bob McDonnell's transportation plan late Tuesday, effectively blocking the Senate's version of the proposal for this legislative session. The move makes it less likely Gov. Bob McDonnell will pass a transportation package in his last year in office. While the House amended and approved a version of the plan, HB 2313, earlier Tuesday, sending it to the Senate Finance Committee, Senate Democrats "vowed to block any proposal that generated less than $1.2 billion a year in new roads money," the Washington Examiner reports. That opposition is what …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
House committee added amendments Wednesday to the package, which would eliminate Virginia's gas tax and hike sales taxes to raise $3 billion over five years.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s controversial transportation bill passed the House of Delegates Finance Committee on Wednesday, moving past its first hurdle in the state's 2013 General Assembly session. In a 14-8 vote, the committee passed McDonnell’s package, which calls for eliminating the state’s 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax and raising the state sales tax from 5 percent to 5.8 percent. The plan would also keep the 17.5 tax on diesel fuel and increase vehicle registration fees. It would also raise the amount of the state’s sales tax that goes to transportation from 5 to 75 cents over a five-year period. McDonnell said the bill would raise approximately $3 billion in that time, including $1.8 billion for new construction. The committee — …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Del. Minchew’s proposal would give localities option for transportation needs.
With Gov. Bob McDonnell pushing the idea of eliminating the gas tax and raising the sales tax by 2 cents for transportation, Loudoun supervisors are concerned that the county could get shortchanged. But not enough to back a proposal by Del. Randy Minchew (R-10) that would allow localities to collect up to a 10 percent gas tax for transportation needs within their borders. Currently, Northern Virginia jurisdictions receive gas tax revenue as a group and split it up for transportation needs. The governor’s proposal would put the new sales tax revenue in the state’s General Fund, where it would complete with other items, like public safety and schools. Supervisor Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn) proposed endorsing Minchew’s bill – HB 1663 – to …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Virginia governor's proposed $3.1 billion transportation overhaul gives higher percentage of sales tax to projects, leaves tax on diesel in tact.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, January 9
By Mark Robinson, Capital News Service RICHMOND – With the General Assembly set to convene, Gov. Bob McDonnell proposed Tuesday increasing Virginia’s sales tax and abolishing its nearly 27-year-old gas tax, making Virginia the first state in the country to do so. The measures are a part of the governor’s proposed $3.1 billion plan to fund improvements to Virginia’s transportation system over the next five years. The funds would supplement $14 billion of transportation projects already under way in the commonwealth, the most in Virginia’s history. “Declining funds for infrastructure maintenance, stagnant motor fuels tax revenues, increased demand for transit and passenger rail and the growing cost of major infrastructure projects …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Virginia's gas tax is a flat rate tax, but leaders are beginning to explore other options.
Next year’s holiday road trips may be a little more expensive as Virginia officials grapple with how to adequately fund Virginia’s growing transportation infrastructure needs. Gov. Bob McDonnell said earlier this month that raising Virginia’s gas tax, tying it to inflation or otherwise adjusting it is not off the table. “I’m looking at a range of things,” McDonnell told reporters in Richmond. “I can tell you that every other major tax in Virginia—the sales tax, the corporate income tax, and the [personal] income tax—all fluctuate with economic activity because they’re a percentage. ... We’re looking at whether or not ... it should fluctuate with economic activity, like every other tax in Virginia.” Right now, Virginia’s state gas tax is …
Bob Bruhns
8:40 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
It would also help if the line item cost numbers were not concealed from the public, as they are in the Dulles Rail / Silver Line project. The concept of a government-business partnership to build these projects was sold to us on the grounds that it would LOWER prices. But what we actually find is that these agreements allow the government and the businesses to conceal excessive line item prices… more ›