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Bad move
Published Friday, February 5, 2010
The General Assembly did a disservice to Isle of Wight and other localities when it killed legislation this session that would have allowed the county and others to levy a tax on cigarettes.
Two bills, sponsored by Delegate William Barlow, D-Smithfield, would have brought in revenue for the county at a critical time — when the state budget is in a crisis resulting in cutbacks at the local level and when the county loses International Paper Co.’s Franklin mill and millions of dollars in associated tax revenue. Both bills were killed in subcommittee.
Barlow got to the crux of the matter while speaking to The Tidewater News last week.
“Every city in Virginia can tax cigarettes, every town in Virginia can tax cigarettes and even two counties — Fairfax and Arlington — can tax cigarettes,” Barlow said. “It doesn’t seem like to me that’s fair.”
In killing the legislation, the subcommittees essentially chose between taxing a habit or taxing property owners.
Faced with fewer funds from the state and fewer places to cut spending, Isle of Wight will look at raising property taxes to offset the hurt that’s coming.
At a time when property owners are already strapped for cash and possibly facing job losses, doesn’t taxing tobacco seem like the more logical choice?
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Comments
Posted by Baffled (anonymous) on February 5, 2010 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, then they should increase the tax on beer and wine too. The whole thing is discriminatory when a specific group of people are singled out for a tax.
Posted by dkh (anonymous) on February 5, 2010 at 9:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well this governor has vowed not to raise taxes...and all the finance subcommittes are squashing any tax increases. I think we will end up in worse shape as we did under Gilmore....Hey I like the "idea", for my pocketbook, but the money has to come from somewhere.
Posted by happy2 (anonymous) on February 5, 2010 at 5:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You cannot continue to tax people because a company has chosen to leave the area and close down. Everyone in the affected areas of IP DO NOT WORK FOR THEM. I am glad they did not raise the tax, enough is enough. Citizens will leave the area because of always having their taxes raised by the city and or county.
Posted by Mike61 (anonymous) on February 6, 2010 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So let me get this straight......Tidewater News' official stance on this is the General Assembly killed any chance for our localities to levy yet another tax on its citizens and Tidewater News' thinks this is a travesty of justice....huh. The same localities who are using the Assessment Firm that has raised our property values unfairly over the last 3 years and even now, at the lowest point of this recession maintains their stance that regardless of what the rest of the Country is experiencing, property values in Franklin, Southampton and I.O.W County are holding steady? Gouge us in the eye, stomp on our feet, kick us in the shins, punch us in the stomach, hit us over the head with a stick, then levy another tax......Our General Assembly, for once decides enough is enough, says "no you will not do this" and TN says it was a dis service to the localities.
Posted by sweetwater (anonymous) on February 6, 2010 at 8:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The bill would not have levied a single penny in tax. It would merely have given the localities the opportunity to decide if they wanted to implement their own tax.
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