Republicans:
Corey Stewart intends to eliminate all Virginia income tax, phasing taxes out over several years. He will eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in government to be able to afford no income taxes going into the state house. (Or something like that, it’s not entirely clear how his plan will work). Stewart says “Virginians’ deserve to have the lowest tax bill of any state in the country.” That’s true, but can it be done and still keep the Commonwealth afloat?
Ed Gillespie has made his tax plan one one of the centerpieces of his campaign. He would cut tax rates across the board and encourage counties and towns to lower their business tax rates to spur business growth. More on Gillespie’s tax plan here.
Frank Wagner intends to raise taxes, through an increase in gas taxes, to build more roads and eliminate toll roads. (I am one of those rare fans of toll roads because they help to control traffic flow.) Has any Republican candidate ever won any office by advocating tax increases?
Democrats:
Tom Perriello, the candidate endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and John Podesta will raise taxes on the rich and redistribute the money to those who the Democrats deem to be more deserving. (Gee, where have we heard this before? Perhaps in any Democrat campaign ever?) Perriello wants universal pre school, which has never been proven to help children, any advantage washes out by third grade. He also wants paid parental leave and free community college. His ads say will do ‘something’ about helping people college debt. All of it means more taxes to pay for them. Perriello and his opponent both promise to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. That will certainly cause many people to lose jobs as businesses across the state are forced to close.
Ralph Northam has been endorsed by Governor McAuliffe, Senator Tim Kaine and many other Democrat leaders in the Commonwealth. Of course he wants to raise taxes, he’s a Democrat. Northam wants many of the same programs Perriello wants, and he wants the 2.5% sales tax on groceries eliminated for poor. He also wants a commission to look at the state’s tax code to make it simpler and ‘more progressive’.
