The spell is broken
Car owners still wonder, where’s the tax relief?
Once upon a time, Virginia voters fell for a fairy tale. The right governor could wave a magical tax wand and, poof, car tax bills would vanish into thin air.
For a while, that governor tried to make good on his promise to have the state pay every car owner’s bill from the local tax collector. So he skimmed money from their public schools and colleges and from the agencies that protect their safety and even from programs that treat the ill — nearly $1 billion in all.
March 22, 2013 - 6:15 AM
While stationed in Japan, I paid a $100 a year road tax. There was no Personal Property Tax on Vehicles. I feel that would work in Virginia too. Everyone should pay a $100 per year road tax to the state. It doesn’t matter whether you drive a Rolls Royce or a 1975 Ford Pinto. Everyone would pay the same $100 road tax. If we did this the revenue to the state would far exceed the revenue under the old car tax scheme.
#1 JimW, always gotta make sure those poor people pay their fair share, now, don’t we?
–
I’d be satisfied if the Personal Property Tax were replaced by equal revenue in the income tax. That would reduce the amount of paperwork.
……….Also, replacing the car tax with a road tax may just allow some families to buy a little nicer car than they could otherwise afford.
#2, If you’d think about it for a moment rather than just going into liberal talking point mode, you’d realize that “poor” people would be able to get a better vehicle for their family if they didn’t have to pay $700 or $800 a year in taxes on it. If a family scrimps and saves to buy a decent vehicle, why would you punish them for it with a regressive tax like the car tax? If you can put a vehicle on the road for a year, then you can afford $8.33 a month for a road tax to use the road. But I guess you gotta get as much money as possible from those “rich” folks.
JIm W, you wrote, ” Everyone should pay a $100 per year road tax to the state.”
You do realize the personal property tax is a local tax to pay for local services?
NW can speak for himself, but I think you might have skipped over his statement that he’d prefer it was replaced with a local income tax.
#5 Excellent point Ms.R. Both the existing personal property tax(es) & Jim W’s alternative are regressive.
To turn to an increase in the relatively progressive state income tax, takes away local autonomy. Choose your …..
IMO the state income tax is not only less regressive, but much more efficient. Yet I do get my whithers up any time we go from local to centralized authority….especially when (as) it means pleasing the powers that be to get one’s own funds back. Dilemma (at least).
Easy enough to solve if Va. allowed localities to levy a local income or wage tax.
Great editorial…and how about NoVa property taxes! I figure a base model Toyota Prius could pay as high as $5000 sales + property taxes + fees over 10-yrs ownership if the new hybrid fee is adopted. I agree we all have to pay taxes, but we have a 900-pound Gorilla in the closet with the extreme high car taxes in VA. It’s kind of cool to be able to control ones tax bill by buying a cheaper car, so out with the Prius, get me a Model-T or other old (non-hybid) car.
“allowed”….yeah, guess I agree.
8 billt, the problem there is that the old clunkers you pay less tax for consume more fuel and are more polluting. i agree localities should be allowed to levy income taxes.
Tax…tax…tax…how about reducing the spending1
It’s interesting to look back 25 years and see the multitude of avenues localities and states have used to raise revenues….
1988 Va. starts the lottery…brings in about a half billion a year.
911 tax on your phone…
meals taxes….
increases on cigarette taxes….
real estate tax increases….
various taxes on gas and cable bills…
increases in sewer/water rates….
fees for court cases…. to name a few off the flat top of my head.
These are revenue raisers which either weren’t around a generation ago or were considerably less than what they are today. And it’s not enough serfs!! And without an analysis, an accounting of how/where the money is spent- its efficiency and efficacy, some now call for a local income tax.
Remember the Guinness Beer commercials from a few years back?
“BRILLIANT!!”
I think you will be able to say this about Obamacare…..my problem with the car tax is the value of cars is way more due to increase in cost than when the rates were set…in Roanoke Co its 3.50 per 100….if state stops kicking in then the rates need to go down.. one more thing, why is the Roanoke Times editorials always for higher taxes and seem so happy for their customers to pay more to the govt…I know the paper will be the first thing I stop when things get tight and this editorial is an example of why
12 hey bud, you’re right those taxes weren’t around … but the federal marginal rates were higher. also maybe you have not noticed but to provide the same services is much more expensive now because employee health care has skyrockted. that accounts for a lot of the spending increase. and a generation ago the gas tax was a higher .percentage. of the price. dont cherry pick your facts please
Hey NW..the subject was state and local taxes and a few posters raised the possibility of a local income tax- you being one. What do marginal federal taxrates have to do with this? And why do you want to levy a new income tax without first checking to see if other state and local programs deserve to continue and/or can’t be administered more efficiently?
The reason marginal tax rates are relevant is because if marginal federal tax rates were at the same level they were in the 1950s, then the federal government might have more resources for things like school construction and we wouldn’t need as much local tax. And the reason I want to levy a local income tax is because my locality needs more money to spend on schools and I think an income tax is more fair than a property tax. I know this is complicated, so I hope that helps.