The center-left Commonwealth Institute still has big reservations about the General Assembly’s transportation-funding package as outlined in a new white paper, “Destination Unknown: Navigating Virginia’ New Transportation Funding Package – and Potential Potholes.”
Some of the concerns are practical. One major funding component of the plan requires Congressional action, which may or may not be forthcoming, and the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads funding pieces will face legal challenges.
But Michael Cassidy and Sarah Okos raise two intertwined issues of substance:
- The tax increases would require low- and moderate-income Virginians to pay a bigger share of their earnings for transportation than wealthier households.
- The legislation shifts the cost of paying for maintenance and highway improvements from drivers, who benefit from the roads, to the general population. According to CI’s calculations, less than 10% of the new revenues are driving-related.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul… Spending other peoples’ money… Describe it how you will, it astounds me that self-styled conservatives could vote for this wealth-transfer scheme. I guess it all depends upon which way the wealth transfer is flowing. Elephant Clan legislators must be able to swallow the plan because they’re soaking urban, Donkey Clan constituents, who tend not to drive as much, in order to benefit their Elephant Clan constituents, who are concentrated in rural areas and suburbs where residents drive more.
I don’t pretend to understand the Donkey Clan legislators at all. I guess they just never saw a tax increase they didn’t like — even if it clobbers their constituents.
— JAB
