Several years ago a politician rode to victory promising repeal of a hated tax. So viscerally hated was this tax that it became a winning issue almost overnight. The tax? The car tax in Virginia. The politician? Jim Gilmore, running for governor of the Commonwealth. So he won. The car tax got scrapped and fiscal reality set in. It looks like even the brave legislators in the Commonwealth have finally realized that you can't pay the bills with promises. It also appears that the VA senate version of the budget is a bi-partisan deal...although I'm too far removed from VA politics to know for sure.
The Senate passed a two-year, $61.5 billion budget Thursday that substantially increases spending for education, transportation and the environment, while also increasing taxes by about $3.8 billion..
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Both plans recognize a need for new revenue from tax restructuring, though the Senate budget includes a far more comprehensive tax reform package, including a 1-cent sales tax increase, higher tax brackets for the wealthy and higher taxes on gasoline and cigarettes.
So even in the republican-dominated VA lege, it's become apparent that they have to do something to retain fiscal sanity. No one wants to pay more...but at what point does paying less and demanding more make more sense? If you're a 1600 Crew republican, getting it all for free and waiting for your fellow Americans to pay the way, of course.
Good for Virginia. It's a small step, but it's a step towards repairing their current fiscal crisis. Hey! Look! California...it's the Jacksons!!
