"Tax Increases Not Needed for Transportation"
The president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance (FCTA), Arthur Purves, notes in an op-ed in Friday’s DC Examiner that the Virginia House of Delegates passed HB3202 that would increase transportation spending by $1.5 billion annually. The money would come from higher fees and bond proceeds with a significant portion coming from the General Fund surplus.
He also asks a question that taxpayers should be asking their state legislators, which is why shouldn’t transportation spending compete with others function for the faster growing General Fund portion of the budget rather than from Non-General Fund revenues. Afterall, it’s not that General Fund programs have been starving for revenue. For example, Purves notes that during the past two-year budget cycle, spending for K-12 education has increased 19%, for higher education 22%, public safety 15%, mental health 21%, and for the Chesapeake Bay 38%.
According to Purves, the education establishment doesn’t want to share General Fund revenues with transportation, and they’ve found an ally in Sen. John Chichester (R), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Last year, Chichester blocked an attempt by the House of Delegates to spend $700 million of the General Fund surplus on transportation.
Hey Senator, in case you were wondering, it’s all the taxpayers’ money.