Transportation solutions or tax giveaways

May 23, 2012

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A pro-business legislative watchdog is generally happier with the first fully Republican General Assembly in years, but it's less than thrilled that lawmakers haven't boosted funding for highways or repealed several business taxes... Virginia FREE's report calls out legislators for failing to pass substantial and sustained transportation revenue, including higher taxes, while lamenting that old taxes on businesses were left on the books."

Progressive Point: Virginia families and small businesses depend on our network of roads and bridges to get us around. Unfortunately, the infrastructure we depend on every day is crumbling and the Commonwealth is running out of money to fix it. The President's plan to rebuild our roads and bridges will put Virginians back to work right away--and put money in their pockets. Too bad Bob McDonnell and his conservatives allies in the General Assembly are refusing to do their part.

Virginia's businesses know that fixing our infrastructure is a necessity to keep our economy growing. Keeping and increasing tax giveaways may be a good conservative political strategy, but it's leaving Virginia's families and businesses behind.

Get the Facts:

• Virginia's gasoline tax is not indexed to inflation and has not been increased in 27 years. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 23, 2012)


• Even Bob McDonnell's own Secretary of Transportation has admitted that, "without additional revenue, all transportation money will be used to maintain existing roads, leaving none for new highway construction." (Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 23, 2012)


• VirginiaFREE reports, "At a bare minimum, new money is required to meet basic maintenance needs, restore viability to the construction budget and ensure that Virginia is a viable partner with the private sector on (public-private transportation) projects." (Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 23, 2012)


• McDonnell's transportation proposals would result in "decades of austerity for public education, universities, safety net programs and state troopers," and, even if enacted, would not meet Virginia's road maintenance needs. Previous failures to meet maintenance costs have resulted in $2.8 billion in construction budget shortfalls since 2005. (Roanoke Times, December 12, 2011)

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