03/20/2018
STOP THIS TAX BILL,
Historic Triangle Bill passes
Senate Bill 942
This bill was submitted by Tommy Norment and is to tax York County, James City County and Williamsburg residents 1% for Historic Triangle Tourism. Even if you live in Newport News, Hampton, Virginia Beach, or the surrounding area, it is important that You call! Should this pass, what is to stop our government from taxing You and your City/County too??
A major area of concern is the lack of public discussion. There was plenty of discussion about a proposed sales tax bill in the months leading up to its appearance in the General Assembly. That discussion didn’t take place in public. “Instead, the sales tax bill materialized in private meetings and correspondence between government officials, according to emails obtained by The Virginia Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act.” http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-sales-tax-bill-discussion-0314-story.htm
This sales tax bill will give the State taxing authority, not only the right to tax an individual locality but the right to distribute it and to tell them how to spend it. Any Locality can now go to the state and ask for an increase instead of working within the confines of their budget and “avoid” raising real estate taxes. Delegate Pogge said this bill will make the localities within the Historic Triangle have the highest sales tax rate in the state of Virginia.
The Governor has until April 9 to veto or amendments the bill.
Please call the Governor’s Office (804) 786-2211, and respectfully ask him to vote AGAINST SB 942. Short, sweet, and to the point. See attached for more info.
Call the delegates:
Gordon Helsel 804-698-1091
(Remember Helsel voted for this bill!)
Mike Mullin 804-698-1093
Brenda Pogge 804-698-1096.
Avalaible here : A listing of all the votes in this house:
https://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2018/sb942/hv1107/
It’s important to understand that most bills are voted on multiple times, and the vote is not necessarily simply whether or not the bill should pass. Be sure to look at the bill’s history to determine what, exactly, was being voted on, and at what point in the bill’s progress.