Today's Top Stories - June 17, 2013

Thompson

by Michael W. Thompson
Chairman/President of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

 With the issue of transportation funding settled, it's time for serious tax reform that can grow our economy, provide more spending money for Virginians, and relieve businesses of some truly job-killing taxes. The results of tax reform can offset the job losses we face from cuts in the federal budget. Tax reform can be revenue neutral fashion and have dramatic impact on Virginia's economy.

            The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy worked for two years on a major new Tax Restructuring proposal and the General Assembly has now taken notice and is seriously looking at this idea. Over the next few months, hearings will be held by the Manufacturing Development Commission and the Small Business Commission - including the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League - to review our study and its potential to help the state's economy. The goal is to have a serious tax reform proposal crafted by the end of the year.

            The study demonstrates that we can enjoy a major tax restructuring that will create an overall net plus on job creation, cash in our pockets, and business investment.

            The Jefferson Institute study found that the unpopular gross receipts tax on business (known as the Business Professional Occupation Licensing or BPOL), the Machine and Tool Tax and the Merchants Capital Tax can be eliminated, the local governments that collect these taxes can be "made whole" through the broadening of the sales tax to industries currently exempt, and personal income tax reductions can be achieved.

Editor:

You should do an expose on (Beach City Councilman and the Beach's representatives on the Hampton Roads Transportation Board) Jim Wood.  He has no idea what he should be doing. 

His background is having been a policeman and then working for his mother's construction company!
And he sits on the board of HRT??  That means I can do brain surgery!
Jimmy has no idea of his responsibilities of being on such a board.  He should be sued for his poor performance.

The general assembly should appoint business people to the board and leave off people like Jimmy!

Give me a break.
Such stupidity is why I moved out of town.  The public is lazy and stupid, caring nothing about whom they elect to office or how they perform in office.

Ben Krause

by Kenneth White, President
Virginia Taxpayer Association

Mr. Chairman and members of the Board, my name is Glenda Cahoon and I live at 3227 Tye River Road, Tye River.

I am here to speak as a representative of the Virginia Taxpayers Association, and all the words I will read to you today were written by, and approved by Kenneth White, President of the Virginia Taxpayers Association.

Since the last regular monthly meeting of your Board, there has been a lot of discussion in the media on use of drones to spy on Americans, and as you know, both houses of the General Assembly, the Senate controlled by Democrats and the House of Delegates controlled by Republicans, have passed resolutions with comfortable margins declaring that drones shall not be used for two years by any state or local law enforcement agencies in Virginia except in cases of a special emergency.

You also know that the Charlottesville City Council will be voting shortly on a resolution favored by the city's mayor against the use of drones.    

As you know, it was the Virginia Taxpayers Association that first brought to your attention months ago, before the present controversy, the projected unconstitutional use of 30,000 drones over the United States. 

But your reaction has always been:  "Ho-hum, who cares about the government spying on our every move, by car, on foot, in our living rooms, on our TV sets and our computers?"