Taxing the Poor to Subsidize the Rich
Oh how the Arlington County Board enjoys playing Robin Hood in Reverse. First, a little background from a recent Manager’s so-called “Board Report” (item 27G on the February 26 agenda), which requested the advertisement “for a public hearing on the personal property tax rate and the allocation method of the State’s vehicle tax relief:”
“In 2004, the State General Assembly fundamentally changed the Personal Property Tax Relief Act (PPTRA) enacted in 1998 (Virginia Code § 58.1-3523 et al.). Beginning in FY 2007, the County began receiving an annual fixed block grant from the state as a replacement of the 70% reimbursement for vehicle taxes assessed below $20,000, which was previously provided under PPTRA.”
Kirstin Dowiey reports in today’s Washington Post that:
“Arlington County’s leadership on environmental initiatives could cost people who own conventional gas-guzzling cars even more money in personal property taxes in the coming year than those who drive cars that operate on clean fuels.”
Since the liberal County Board is comprised of global warming alarmists, they consider it important to subsidize so-called clean fuel, hybrid vehicles such as the Prius or the high-priced Lexus RX 400h. Consequently, the Board is being asked to approve a change in the allocation method from the prior year:
“One change is recommended for the allocation method of State funds provided to Arlington County ($31.3 million). The amount of the subsidy that can be provided to the value of conventional fuel vehicles between $3,001 and $20,000 will be reduced from 33% to 30% to account for the projected growth in the vehicle assessment base and the rapidly increasing number of clean fuel vehicles owned by County residents.”
Arlington’s super-watchdog Wayne Kubicki questions changing the allocation method. According to the Post report:
“Arlington resident Wayne Kubicki thinks the program makes little sense, because it gives big tax breaks to people who are affluent enough to buy high-priced hybrid cars. If Carlee's plan is adopted by the board, owners of conventional-fuel cars, even if they get excellent gas mileage, will pay disproportionately more than they did last year, he said.
"Everybody else's car tax bill is going up," he said. "That big a credit for hybrids seems silly to me."
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Just another symptom of a county government with too much of our taxes and too out of touch with the general public?