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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (10246)	2/2/2002 3:22:04 PM
From: jttmab	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

You should be so tactfull on the topic of women. <LOL> Here's a wonderfull story on the great State of Virginia. They can't even figure out how to divvy up their own taxes to distribute to their own schools....Screw 'em. They don't deserve any Federal tax money. washingtonpost.com Rivalries Put Vote on Sales Tax At Risk Rural Va. Holds Out For a Large Share By Michael D. Shear Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, February 2, 2002; Page B01 RICHMOND, Feb. 1 -- Virginia's old political rivalries between affluent suburbs and less wealthy, rural communities are again threatening to kill proposals for a sales tax increase that would finance education and transportation projects. Before Virginians can vote in November on a plan to raise the statewide sales tax for education, Northern Virginia lawmakers must agree to send half or more of every dollar collected to other parts of the state. Many legislators say that reality may sink any chance for such a referendum. A proposal for a Northern Virginia referendum that would increase the sales tax to finance local transportation projects also is in jeopardy. Legislators are divided by party and geography over issues that include where the money should go and whether it should be spent on transportation only. The fates of the statewide and regional proposals are linked. Some legislators say they will not support the transportation referendum unless the education plan also appears on the ballot. Others support a vote on regional transportation funding but not on education. Still, the sales tax has become the one great hope for increased spending in those two areas. As lawmakers consider allowing voters to increase the 4.5 percent tax, they must write legislation to determine how the extra money from a statewide sales tax for education would be distributed to school systems. Any way it is written, some parts of the state would be winners and some would be losers. "We initiated this effort to help our schools, and we are going to end up sending most of the money to other parts of the state," said Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria). "People have been screaming for years about bringing more money back to Northern Virginia. To be compounding that seems counterproductive." Under one proposal aimed at picking up votes among lawmakers south of the Rappahannock River, for example, each dollar in additional sales tax that an Alexandria resident would pay would generate just 37 cents to help rebuild and renovate the city's schools. Where would the rest of the money go? In part, to King and Queen County, where the school system would receive $4.80 for every dollar paid by residents there. In Prince George County, every sales tax dollar generated would translate into $3.66 for schools. Under that proposal, 94 counties and cities in mostly rural areas would receive more money than their residents would pay in the new tax. All but three Northern Virginia jurisdictions would send money south. Northern Virginia lawmakers are fighting to minimize the losses. Del. James H. Dillard II (R-Fairfax) has proposed amendments that would send less money downstate by keeping a portion of every dollar in the community where it was spent. Other area legislators, including Dels. James M. Scott (D-Fairfax) and Robert D. Hull (D-Fairfax), have similar proposals. But the more palatable the legislation becomes to Northern Virginia, the more certain it is to fail among other lawmakers. State Sen. William C. Wampler Jr. (R-Bristol) said he is determined to stop any legislation that would simply allow Northern Virginia to get richer. "You only increase the disparity issue in education," Wampler, a leader in the Senate, said of the proposals by Dillard, Scott and Hull. "They would only widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots." Some lawmakers believe that a compromise can be reached. Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun) predicted today that a last-minute deal is likely, especially with the support of Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), who weighed in this week by backing a statewide referendum. On Wednesday, Warner met privately with Dillard, Del. John A. "Jack" Rollison III (R-Prince William) and three other key lawmakers. Participants said the hour-long meeting was heated and produced no consensus, but it ended with an agreement to meet again. "When you have this kind of standoff, but everyone wants something at the end, an acceptable compromise will be found," Mims said. Even if that happens, proponents of a statewide sales tax for education face serious obstacles to passing any sales tax legislation during the 35 days remaining in the General Assembly session. House Speaker S. Vance Wilkins Jr. (R-Amherst) this week reiterated his opposition to the sales tax for education. Wilkins said he would "hold his nose" and vote for the transportation referendum but would oppose the current statewide sales tax proposals for education. He predicted that many House members would do the same. "I don't think that it's a good time to be raising taxes now anyway," he said. In the Senate, Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) has vowed to stop any transportation referendum if the General Assembly has not already given permission for a vote on behalf of education. Saslaw made good on a similar promise last year, forcing the bills to emerge again this session. And finally, some lawmakers fear that success might be worse in the long run than failure. If the only legislation that can pass in the assembly requires that half of all money be diverted elsewhere, advocates say they may have a tough time persuading people in vote-rich Northern Virginia to approve the tax increase. William Lecos, a senior vice president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, said: "Arguing fairness and ensuring adequate distribution are all important considerations. But no one is served if it can't pass at the ballot box."