Less tax relief for Virginia car owners

The Washington Times ^ | 3-1-06 | Christina Bellantoni

[JZelle]

RICHMOND -- Virginia's car-tax relief program is stuck in reverse. Starting next year, taxpayers will be required to pay local governments more money for the privilege of owning their cars. The state currently picks up 70 percent of motorists' car-tax bills, leaving car owners to pay the remaining 30 percent to their locality. However, the state's reimbursement will fall to 68 percent next year and 66 percent in 2008; it will continue to fall to 58 percent in 2013. Two years ago, the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved a $950 million cap on the state's total reimbursement. As more Virginians buy more expensive cars, the amount set aside for car-tax relief is stretched thin, leaving each individual car owner with less relief. House Republicans are arguing for a $50 million addition to the cap before the higher car-tax bills are due next year, when all 140 seats in the House and the Senate will be up for election.

[JZelle]

TAX TAX TAX

[SlowBoat407]

Cut taxes, cut spending. It's a simple formula that Virginia didn't follow. Nobody does, for that matter.

[Question_Assumptions]

The next step is to provide a rebate only for senior citizens because, well, senior citizens vote.

[detsaoT]

The problem, of course, is not that Richmond is taking the money, or that it's failing to cut spending. The core problem with the auto tax is that the LOCAL GOVERNMENTS which collect it FAIL to use the money raised by that tax to do ANYTHING with roads—Rather, the money gets funneled into social projects and other useless endeavors. These same politicians then turn around and blame Richmond for not "paying" for roads, or blame the Federal government, as if the LOCAL mis-spending is AT ALL the fault of either! Virginians who are upset at the car tax should burn a hole in their locality's phone lines, rather than blaming Richmond for something that's not Richmond's fault.