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Virginia Senate approves hike in gasoline tax Date published: 6/26/2008
RICHMOND --The state Senate yesterday approved a bill to raise the gas tax 6 cents statewide.On a party-line vote, the Senate approved 21 to 16 Sen. Dick Saslaw's bill to increase road funding by raising the gas tax a penny a year for six years. Saslaw's bill also raises the state sales tax a quarter percent, while removing a half-cent tax on food, and adds a half-cent to the current 3 percent tax on vehicle sales. It contains other region-specific provisions to provide extra funding for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. "I don't know any way out of this without raising and spending money," Saslaw said. "I don't know how you solve transportation problems of the magnitude we have in this state with no money." Democrats say the state must increase revenue to pay for increasing maintenance costs that are eating into the construction budget, while many Republicans want to focus tax increases only on Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Republicans argued against Saslaw's bill, saying the current bad economic climate makes this a bad time to raise any taxes. Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City, said legislators are wasting their time trying to forge a consensus in the heat of a session, when there should have been consensus before the session was called. "I am not afraid to increase taxes, but this is not the time, it is not the place, and every one of you in this room knows, it is not going to happen," Norment said. "If we are ever going to do something on transportation, we have got to forge the consensus before we get here. This is one of the most insurmountable policy issues that we have been confronted with in the history of the commonwealth, not just because of the partisanship but because of the economy." Embedded in Saslaw's bill is also a provision that would raise the sales tax by 1 cent in the Fredericksburg and Richmond metropolitan regions, for transportation uses. That provision comes from Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, who wants the Fredericksburg area to have its own regional funding similar to Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Eventually, Houck's plan would raise about $42 million a year for the Fredericksburg region.
if this increase passes in the name of road requirements; then every cent raised BETTER BE SPENT FOR ROADS! No more clever little legislative diversions of transportation money for "other" things!
There is never a good time to raise taxes. But if no time is a good time, then anytime is a good time.
the more people will use those roads. The whole idea is to stimulate more local growth so the usual suspects can make tons more money. Silver and Co must be jumping for joy as we speak. More people more roads, more stores needed, and yes, more tax MONEY for the local governments.
Have any of you actually stopped and witnessed road crews in action? If yes, how many road workers were there? How many of them were working? How many standing around talking and smoking cigarettes. Please do provide feedback!
pay a few extra cents a gallon than burn my $4 gallon gas idling in continuous congestion. Hell I bet a idle away a couple of gallons a month stuck at the Falmouth light.
I understand this seems to be a bad time to be talking about raising any taxes however if Bill Howell had taken care of the State's business as he was elected to do these tax increases would have taken effect last year.
There are no free rides in life or in this State. The gas tax only should be raised so the users, including out of State users are paying proportional to how much the drive.
Our legislatures inability to take action is costing all of us with longer commutes and less safe roads.
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