President of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist today released the following statement after the Virginia House of Delegates passed the Governor’s “Road to the Future” transportation plan:
“House passage of HB 2313 demonstrates that the Virginia state legislature just doesn’t get it. Richmond doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a problem prioritizing spending. No one denies that Virginia has a transportation crisis. Instead of making transportation a priority out of currently collected revenue, however, Virginia Democrats and a select number of Republicans demanded higher taxes instead. A $607 million sales tax hike, more than $600 million in car taxes, and an internet tax scheme are not the solution to Virginia’s transportation needs.”
“In the last three years, Virginia has run a surplus of $1.4 billion. Less than $21 million of that went to transportation, a miniscule 1.5%. It’s time for Virginia Republicans to adopt a conservative approach to solving Virginia’s transportation needs. Eliminate the fees, lower the sales tax hike, and use more general fund revenue to pay for maintenance and new project costs.”