CAPITOL OFFICE
General Assembly Building, Room 807
PO Box 406, Richmond VA 23219
Phone: 804-698-1009
Fax: 804-698-6709
Viewpoint Hotline: 800-889-0229
Email: DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov
DISTRICT OFFICE
PO Box 117, Glade Hill VA 24092
Phone: 540-576-2600
Fax: 804-698-6709
Email: DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov
CAMPAIGN OFFICE
PO Box 117, Glade Hill VA 24092
Phone: 540-352-9795
Email: Charles@votepoindexter.com
Charles@charlespoindexter.com
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Appropriations
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Agriculture, Chesapeake
& Natural Resources
COMMISSION ASSIGNMENTS
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ENDORSEMENTS & RATINGS
National Rifle Association - Endorsed with an A rating
National Federation of Independent Businesses
Virginia Society for Human Life
Rated 100% by The Family Foundation
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| State Capitol Report March 3, 2008 |
Transportation Taxes
Last Friday morning, members of the Legislature learned that the Virginia Supreme Court had nullified the Northern Virginia (NOVA) and, by implication, the Hampton Roads (HR) regional funding components of last year’s monumental agreement on transportation funding known as HB3202. Fortunately, the remaining statewide components of HB3202 are not impacted. Those continue to provide statewide funding for our roads, railways, and public transit. These remaining statewide components incorporate the most significant investment in transportation in recent times.
Without the two regional funding sections in HB3202, NOVA and HR will not receive the large infusion of dollars to meet their significant transportation needs. This is a serious issue which the Legislature and Governor Kaine will address immediately. In fact, they held initial discussions over the weekend. While I am hopeful the technical and legal issues can be addressed or resolved right away through modified legislation, this cannot be assured due to the complexities involved.
In the meantime, we are already hearing the familiar calls for raising the gas tax a few pennies as a fix for transportation funding. Here’s why raising the gas tax is not a good solution, especially for the 9th District and rural Virginia:
First, in 2007 NOVA only received 20% of the funding distributed through the transportation formula. Twenty percent is far less than NOVA’s population and variables such as their overall contribution to state revenue would imply. The current formula was adopted in 1986 when the Transportation Trust Fund was created and, in a sense, favors the more rural areas of the state since we have longer distances to travel. Therefore, if this formula is kept, the gas tax would have to be raised approximately 56-cents to net NOVA alone the same revenue as HB3202, as enacted, would provide. As of the moment, I do not have the numbers for HR, but the 56-cents would certainly increase significantly in order to cover that area.
With the price of gas currently in excess of $3.00/gallon and expected to rise to $3.50/gallon or higher this spring and summer, adding a huge tax increase such as 56-cents/gallon would be intolerable for our region and most of the state. Change the formula so NOVA and HR would receive the same funding they would have received under HB3202? Well, if that course of action were taken, only crumbs would be left for the remainder of the state.
It seems to me the best approach is to carefully and methodically examine the issues identified in HB3202 by the Supreme Court and determine if the General Assembly and the Governor can find a way to resolve them by adjusting or making changes within HB3202. At this point, going down the path towards such a huge gas tax increase would be poor public policy, especially considering the overall economic situation.
It’s also important to remember that NOVA and HR contribute significantly to our Commonwealth, especially economically. Since their tax bases are huge compared with the remainder of the state, those contributions include significant revenue to the state, which in turn also permits us to better fund core services such as education, health, and public safety statewide.
Charles
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News & Announcements:
Charles runs
for re-election!
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“Entrepreneurs and their small business enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States".
Ronald Reagan
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| Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library |
“Whatever else history says about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way".
Ronald Reagan
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