House Committee Kills Plan to Raise Road Repair Revenue

By: TheGreenMiles
Published On: 2/25/2008 4:50:15 PM

This just in - make sure the shocks on your car are in good working order:

RICHMOND, Feb. 25 -- A Virginia House of Delegates committee rejected today a proposal to raise the state's gasoline tax by a nickel over the next five years, effectively ending plans to raise more money for transportation this year.

The 14 to 6 vote by the Republican-controlled Finance Committee means a projected $360 million deficit in the part of the state transportation budget used to maintain roads will likely worsen in the coming years. [...]

By failing to enact a gas tax increase, legislators have decided they won't be replacing the estimated $65 million in revenue that the state would have collected from the abusive driving fees, which the House and Senate voted this year to repeal.

As Bob Chase of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance said, "What is 50 cents a month compared to the cost of a possible front-end alignment for your car?"


Comments



Say what, Del Moran? (Eric - 2/25/2008 5:04:51 PM)
I like Del Moran a lot, but this has me stumped: He voted against it because it didn't have enough votes to pass the Republican controlled legislature!  

First off, duh.  Everyone knows the do-nothing, obstructionist, flat-earth Republicans will never raise taxes.

But to not vote for it because of that?  Does Brian lose brownie points if he's on the losing end of too many votes?  So what if it's not going to pass, why not just vote the right way to show what you stand for?  



Just a guess ... (TheGreenMiles - 2/25/2008 5:34:33 PM)
Even if all the Dems on that committee voted for the tax, it still would've gone down, then those delegates would've had to  listen to the GOP back in their home district bash them as tax-and-spenders. Politically, no benefit to voting in favor of a tax hike you know is going to fail.

Specifically for Del. Moran, I've also heard he doesn't want to just throw money at the transportation problem without also addressing land use/sprawl.



I suspect your right about the politics, (aznew - 2/25/2008 7:10:50 PM)
but that kind of "I was for-it-before-I-was-against-it" kind of political calculation sometimes has a way of backfiring.

If his vote was based on concerns about land use/sprawl, then that's a different ball of wax.



Exactly. (Eric - 2/25/2008 9:46:18 PM)
It does appear to be political positioning for the next election.  Which is one of the reasons non-political people get so bent out of shape about politicians.  Seriously, if they take a position only for election brownie points how is anyone supposed to know where they really stand?  Or if they'll make a stand when it counts?

I'm hoping there's more to this than what appears because the appearance doesn't look very good for Brian.



An Embarressment (GeorgetownStudent - 2/25/2008 5:44:42 PM)
This is ridiculous. I think even Huckabee has more sense than the Republicans in the House of Delegates. At least he helped push forth a tax increase for road improvements and construction in Arkansas. What kind of competent government refuses to finance infrastructure? They should go look at the massive potholes that have developed on 66 because of all the snow. Or wait, that would not do anything because they don't even care about the needs of this part of the state. Instead of looking at Northern Virginia as a part of the state that they should foster they only look at it with jealousy.  


Oops (GeorgetownStudent - 2/25/2008 6:03:16 PM)
I meant embarrassment


Or, did you mean (Teddy - 2/25/2008 7:15:02 PM)
the Freudian slip of bare-ass-ment, a customary Republican condition?