Until recently, the Virginia General Assembly appeared to be one of the more hospitable places in the country for advocates of limited government. With taxpayers in two of the state’s largest metropolitan areas having voted overwhelmingly against Democratic Gov. Mark Warner’s proposals to increase sales taxes in 2002, and Republicans holding 85 of the 140 seats in the state Senate and House of Delegates, Virginia hardly seemed like a state where politicians were poised to raise taxes.
But, with the House of Delegates’ vote last week for Mr. Warner’s tax-increase package, there’s a new political reality in Virginia, at least when it comes to electing members of the General Assembly. In the House, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 61-37 (there are two independents), 17 Republicans joined the overwhelming majority of Democrats in voting to enact Mr. Warner’s two-year, $972 million package of tax increases into law. In the Senate, where Republicans hold a 24-16 advantage, most Republican lawmakers voted with a unified Democratic bloc to pass a tax increase that was more than double the size of the one proposed by Mr. Warner.
All of this might be understandable if the alternatives involved draconian cuts in state services. But that is not — and has never been — what is at stake in this year’s budget fight. The budget approved by the House of Delegates (which follows spending increases of more than 50 percent from 1998-2004) provided for an 11 percent increase in state spending over the next two years. But that was not enough for Mr. Warner and Senate Republicans, who demanded (and will receive) a higher rate of spending growth. Of the 85 Republicans in the General Assembly, more than 50 opposed but roughly 30 voted for the Warner tax hike or the much larger increase pushed through the Senate by Republican Finance Committee Chairman John Chichester.
At present, the House is engaged in fighting a desperate rear-guard action to prevent Republican senators led by Mr. Chichester from piling new tax increases on top of the Warner increase package (with the governor’s tacit support). If the past few months are any indication, the House is unlikely to hold out against the combined Warner-Chichester efforts for higher taxes and spending.
In short, when it comes to the growth of government, General Assembly Republicans do not now function as a bulwark against a liberal-leaning Democratic governor. Virginians (especially those represented by Republicans) should check with groups like the Club For Growth and Americans for Tax Reform to find out how their local legislators voted on taxes. Once they do, we suspect that many of the high-tax Republicans will be facing competitive primaries in the coming years.
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