(PDF)Cooper Center

Lloyd Snook’s article on the plan:

Democratic Central – Connie Brennan’s Property Tax Relief Act

1. In 1999, the Virginia General Assembly, with Watkins Abbitt co-sponsoring, passed House Joint Resolution 578, creating a Commission on Virginia’s State and Local Tax Structure for the 21st Century. http://leg1.state.va... That group issued a report in December, 2000, see http://www.coopercen... , that made some very specific recommendations about readjusting state income taxes, using the additional revenue to pay for the things that it is actually legally obligated to pay for (jails, mental health services, etc.), and then let the localities cut property taxes accordingly. That report was filed in 2000, it was commented on briefly, and then ignored.

Link for above cite:

HJ 578ER (1999)

More at Democratic Central.

Grew up in Michigan and remember filing that city income tax form right along with the fed and state one. Was not that much of a tax, but that might have something to do with my $1.25 minimum wage burger job!

Please do link that survey.

Elsewhere, outside the stupid Dillon Rule nonsense, things like water districts and transportation districts are allowed, and are operated by local citizenry, and don’t require the state’s permission.

These are just examples, of course.

We get to have a dump in tiny Cumberland County, mostly because that’s the opportunity that can be exploited without a lot of permission from someone in the legislature. As it is, the trash industry has powerful friends. If the county could even put on a meals tax they could raise some money. It works for Farmville, who, as a town can levy these sorts of revenue raisers.

If the Commonwealth paid for the things they require of counties, towns and cities, the property taxes would go down $.10. Prisons, Social Services, some Health Department mandates, all are required by the state, but not fully paid for by the state.

I’ll look up the 2000 study that talked about this.

A lot of states have local income taxes to get the folks that use the services (like roads) to help pay for them. I think there is an argument for either solution (regarding who should pay the higher tax, residents or nonresidents) or for the rates to be the same.

But I do have a question re: this suggestion of a payroll tax. Shouldn’t the folks living in one jurisdiction but working in another pay the larger tax? I know DC tried to do something this a few years back to help pay for some of their roads that so many Marylanders and Virginians use.