Visit the Photo Place

Reform or refrain?

Tax reform--or at least a lively discussion of it--is in Virginians' future

Date published: 11/10/2003

TAX REFORM in Virginia is, increasingly, a small-p political issue apt to spawn partisan rhetoric. Yet it might also be a matter about which state political leaders are more in agreement than their sharp words suggest.

Del. William Howell, R-Stafford and speaker of the House of Delegates, fired a Halloween broadside against Gov. Warner's pledge to reform the Virginia tax code. In a speech before state Chamber of Commerce directors, Mr. Howell urged the governor to abandon any reform plan that would beget a major tax increase.

The speaker had wanted the issue to be part of the campaign debate. But Mr. Warner didn't cotton to having tax reform--which, for many, translates as a tax increase--make the campaign trail any more treacherous for Democrats than GOP-crafted redistricting already had made it. Too bad that the governor didn't trust the voting public to separate reasoned discourse from demagogy.

Exactly when Mr. Warner is going to offer specifics on his tax-reform plan is unclear. Possibly viewing the issue as an 800-pound gorilla that would sit on the General Assembly this winter and suffocate the rest of the legislative agenda, the governor is hinting that he might call a special session later in 2004. Well, the reality is that whatever plan Gov. Warner offers, and whenever he offers it, the proposal probably won't be "revenue neutral."

At that point, he can make a good argument that if Virginians really want the level of services they say they do, they ought to be prepared to pay for them. These services include more money for secondary and higher education; funding to relieve near-gridlock conditions on Virginia roads; a greater commitment to the Chesapeake Bay and other resources in environmental sick bay; more Medicaid slots that would allow retarded Virginians to live in group homes rather than institutions; and funds for prosecutors and police to do their jobs better. Also: Could tax reform not allow Virginia to better prepare for future economic downturns?

Follow us on

Date published: 11/10/2003