| Tax
Increase is Not a Fair Tax |
|
To the editor:
|
| Will I vote for the transportation tax? No. Do we have transportation
needs that require this revenue? Yes. Should you vote for
it? It¯s your choice. |
| Do I support the fact that we have been given the opportunity
to vote on this tax? Yes, and I also supported many varying
versions of this referendum which were not offered to the
voters. |
| Are there other options? Yes. Why have our transportation
needs been neglected? Money. This is the very same reason
parents of children and adults with special needs have to
spend every waking hour arguing with administrators of our
public school systems--often in vain-- in an attempt to access
appropriate services for our children and with our county
officials for adult services. Virginia continues to be close
to last in our nation when it comes to providing services
to those most in need. |
| There are many reasons so many of Virginia's future--our
teens--are still picking up the habit of smoking tobacco and
why are there so many alcohol related tragedies? While I support
keeping taxes affordable, I am appalled that our elected officials
have failed to provide for our transportation needs despite
the immense revenue our area continues to generate for the
state. |
| The bottom line is, if Virginia taxed cigarettes and alcohol
at or above the national average, there would be enough revenue
to eliminate the need for this new regional tax and would
go a long way in reducing teen smoking and drunk driving tragedies
as well. |
| We all pay taxes, will continue to pay taxes and for the
most part agree with taxes that are fair. This regional transportation
tax is not fair and if it is approved it will be primarily
a vote of non-confidence in our elected officials. |
| Jim Kelly |
| Sterling |
