State of Virginia secondary Archives: on Tax Reform
Bob McDonnell:
Kill the Death Tax; eliminate fraud & duplication
Bob McDonnell voted more than 50 times to cut taxes during his 14 years in the House of Delegates, resulting in over $2 billion in tax cuts.- Bob McDonnell was Chief Sponsor of legislation to kill the
Death Tax on family businesses and farms.
- As Attorney General, Bob McDonnell proactively cut his office's budget by nearly 15%. In 2008 he gave back his state car and cut his own salary--voluntarily!.
These cuts saved Virginia taxpayers close to $4 million.
- As Attorney General, Bob McDonnell fought to eliminate fraud in the Medicare system, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and efficiently.
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As Attorney General, Bob McDonnell established the Government and Regulatory Reform Task Force to eliminate burdensome and duplicative government regulations and ensure that hinder free enterprise and job creation.
Source: 2009 VA Gubernatorial campaign site, bobmcdonnell.com
Jul 21, 2009
Bob McDonnell:
Opposed tax increases for core government services
Deeds had little to say about Gov. Kaine and instead pledged to govern in the mold of Sen. Mark Warner (D). Warner's victory in the 2001 gubernatorial race began Virginia's Democratic trend, and his signature achievement--a
2004 tax increase for improved core government services--was opposed by McDonnell. McDonnell said he did not agree with all of Bush's policies but reaffirmed his belief that tax cuts are the right way to respond to an economic recession.
Source: Washington Post coverage: 2009 VA gubernatorial debate
Jul 25, 2009
Glenn Youngkin:
Oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes
Youngkin announced his pledge to taxpayers to "oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes."?"Our government in Richmond has runaway budgets, and I believe in small government and efficient government. So today I'm going to sign a pledge to
take care of Virginians as opposed to taking care of big government," said Youngkin as he became the first Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia to publicly sign Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
Source: 2021 VA Governor campaign website YoungkinForGovernor.com
Feb 4, 2021
Jim Gilmore:
End the Car Tax
We have already met the conditions to proceed with the next phase of the car tax cut with a 70% reduction. Because the money is already in the budget, any bill that would halt the car tax cut I believe would amount to a tax increase.
Any bill that would cut the car tax less than 70% would also amount to a tax increase, in my judgement. The car tax cut is about people and principle. The car tax may not be a heavy burden to some Virginians. But many Virginians, one or two hundred
dollars makes a real difference in their lives.
[And] the principle: People have grown cynical about government. We overwhelmingly enacted this together and most of us have campaigned on it. Together, let's keep the trust of the people. I ask you to
support the car tax cut not only because it was a campaign promise, but also because it makes a real difference in the lives of the people we serve. Even though our budget may be tight, I ask you to make the people and their priorities your priority.
Source: 2001 State of the State Address to VA General Assembly
Jan 10, 2001
Jim Gilmore:
Warner raised taxes without fully informing us about revenue
RHETORIC: Gilmore: "Your Secretary of Finance John Bennett sent you a letter and reported in February [of 2004] and said ‘Guess what? Revenues are climbing'...Why didn't you tell the people of
Virginia what you knew and what you were being told so that tax increase could have gone forward with all the facts available and probably would have never been enacted.
Why didn't you tell the people of Virginia what you were being told by your own people?" REALITY: The update to the Joint Finance Committee letters are public, e-mailed to all
General Assembly members, and posted on the web just after the Governor receives it. The monthly revenue reports also are widely reported by the media
Source: 2008 VA Senate Debate: analysis by Warner campaign
Jul 19, 2008
Jim Gilmore:
Signature achievement: effort to eliminate Virginia car tax
Gilmore, whose signature achievement as governor was his effort to eliminate Virginia's car tax, frequently mentioned that Warner pushed through a $1.4 billion tax increase in 2004.
The car tax never was fully revoked because of budget restraints. Warner countered that the tax increase was needed to close a $6 billion budget shortfall that he said he inherited from Gilmore. Gilmore said he left office with a balanced budget.
Gilmore said Warner's tax increase did little to help road-building, and they were proof that Warner would support higher federal taxes as well. "Taxes are coming at us like a freight train," Gilmore said. Gilmore was referring to
Obama's proposal to roll back Bush's tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans. Warner said he supports eliminating those tax cuts as a way of reducing the federal deficit.
Source: Washington Post on 2008 VA Senate debate
Sep 19, 2008
Jim Gilmore:
In times of economic stress, don't raise taxes
Gilmore tried to portray Mark Warner as the mirror image of Barack Obama. "We have to put together an energy policy, financial policies that will do the right things for people, but Mark Warner wants to raise taxes; Barack Obama wants to raise taxes,"
Gilmore said. "This is not going to be healthy for the economy in a time of stress." Warner said he has expressed support only for rolling back top-tier tax breaks by the Bush administration and is against tax increases on small businesses.
Source: 2008 VA Senate Debate in The Washington Times
Sep 19, 2008
Mark Warner:
Vetoed offshore drilling ban until more laws & facts known
RHETORIC: Gilmore: "Your Secretary of Finance John Bennett sent you a letter and reported in February [of 2004] and said ‘Guess what? Revenues are climbing'...Why didn't you tell the people of
Virginia what you knew and what you were being told so that tax increase could have gone forward with all the facts available and probably would have never been enacted.
Why didn't you tell the people of Virginia what you were being told by your own people?" REALITY: The update to the Joint Finance Committee letters are public, e-mailed to all
General Assembly members, and posted on the web just after the Governor receives it. The monthly revenue reports also are widely reported by the media
Source: 2008 VA Senate Debate: analysis by Warner campaign
Jul 19, 2008
Mark Warner:
Gilmore promised car tax repeal at $620M; but it cost $2B
RHETORIC: Gilmore said, "It is not true that the car tax cost three times as much [in its repeal as Warner said it would when he was running for Governor]."REALITY: While running for governor in 1997, Gilmore promised Virginia voters that his car tax
repeal would cost no more than $620 million and would not require any cuts in core services. By the time Gilmore left, he cut millions from necessary programs and the car tax repeal was creating a nearly $2 billion hole in Virginia's budget. [AP, 4/30/04
Source: 2008 VA Senate Debate: analysis by Warner campaign
Jul 19, 2008
Mark Warner:
Pushed $1.4B tax increase to close $6B budget shortfall
Gilmore, whose signature achievement as governor was his effort to eliminate Virginia's car tax, frequently mentioned that Warner pushed through a $1.4 billion tax increase in 2004.
The car tax never was fully revoked because of budget restraints. Warner countered that the tax increase was needed to close a $6 billion budget shortfall that he said he inherited from Gilmore. Gilmore said he left office with a balanced budget.
Gilmore said Warner's tax increase did little to help road-building, and they were proof that Warner would support higher federal taxes as well. "Taxes are coming at us like a freight train," Gilmore said. Gilmore was referring to
Obama's proposal to roll back Bush's tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans. Warner said he supports eliminating those tax cuts as a way of reducing the federal deficit.
Source: Washington Post on 2008 VA Senate debate
Sep 19, 2008
Mark Warner:
Roll back top-tier tax breaks
Gilmore tried to portray Mark Warner as the mirror image of Barack Obama. "We have to put together an energy policy, financial policies that will do the right things for people, but Mark Warner wants to raise taxes; Barack Obama wants to raise taxes,"
Gilmore said. "This is not going to be healthy for the economy in a time of stress." Warner said he has expressed support only for rolling back top-tier tax breaks by the Bush administration and is against tax increases on small businesses.
Source: 2008 VA Senate Debate in The Washington Times
Sep 19, 2008
Tom Garrett:
High taxes are a barrier to job creation
Federal taxes are too high. High taxes are a barrier to job creation and economic growth. Tom will fight to cut them and end the tax burden placed on us by corporate welfare subsidies. By cutting the size and scope of
government we can lower taxes across the board and keep more money in the hands of the people who earn it. Tom has voted against tax increases in Richmond, and he will fight higher taxes in Congress.
Source: 2016 VA House campaign website TomGarrettForCongress.com
Nov 8, 2016
Tom Perriello:
Eliminate capital gains taxes on key investments
The Small Business Jobs Act gives small businesses approximately $12 billion in tax cuts to spur investment, growth, new starts and hiring, including two tax cuts that were initially cosponsored by Rep. Perriello. These include:- Elimination of
capital gains taxes on key investments in small businesses (Initially co-sponsored by Perriello;)
- The highest small business expensing limit ever-- up to $500,000;
- An extension of 50% bonus depreciation originally enacted by the Recovery Act;
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A new deduction for health care expenses for the self-employed;
- Tax relief and simplification for cell phone deductions;
- An increase in the deduction for entrepreneurs' start-up expenses (initially co-sponsored by Perriello;)
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A five-year carryback of general business credits;
- Limitations on penalties for errors in tax reporting that disproportionately affect small business.
Source: 2010 VA House campaign website Perriello.house.gov
Sep 23, 2010
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023