We're all getting hit with some new taxes in a few weeks; repairing your car, renting a car or hotel room, and a few other things are all gonna start costing a bit more:

http://www.thenovaauthority.org/TAX.html

this is from the "Info Card" pdf that sums up all the new taxes.

Quote

                         The Authority
            for Transportation in Northern Virginia
                      www.TheNoVaAuthority.org

On July 12, 2007 the Northern Virginia Transportation
Authority (NVTA) approved the implementation of seven
taxes and fees, as authorized by the General Assembly in
the Transportation Funding Reform Act of 2007 (HB3202),
which will generate approximately $300 million annually
in new transportation funding for Northern Virginia.

The monies collected through these taxes and fees in
Northern Virginia, stay in Northern Virginia and will fund
vital transportation projects which will improve traffic
congestion throughout the region.

The seven taxes and fees are:

  • Congestion Relief Fee Grantors Tax
      —	.40 cents/per	$100
  • Motor Vehicle Rental Tax
      —	2 % of rental rate
  • Transient Occupancy Tax
      —	2 % of hotel rate	
  • Safety Inspection Fee
      —	$10.00 annually	
  • Sales Tax on Auto Repairs
      —	5 % of labor charges
  • Regional Registration Fee
      —	$10.00 annually
  • Initial Vehicle Registration Fee
      —	1 % of value (one time)

The taxes and fees will be collected in the counties of
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William; as well as
the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and
Manassas Park beginning January 1, 2008.
	
For more information, please visit:

www.TheNoVaAuthority.org	



If you do not have access to the internet, please contact
your local county or city government.

On July 12, 2007 the Authority approved a $102 million list
of 22 ready-to-go multi-modal projects distributed equally
throughout the region.

Construction of these projects will begin immediately
and are expected to have a noticeable impact on relieving
congestion in these areas.      These projects are just the
first step toward improving transportation in Northern
Virginia.

The Authority will approve additional projects in 2008.
The Authority has created an interactive map to help you
learn more about these projects.
To view this map, please visit:


www.TheNoVaAuthority.org/projects.html

"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

I would love to see what they determine "fund vital transportation projects " in the area. I live in arlington and have seen them repave certain roads that have no visible wear and tear on them. Oh right that is one of the streets a councilman lives on so I guess that makes it a vital transportation project...haha At this rate everything we do in Northern VA is going to hav ea special transportation tax levied against it. Might be time to start looking to move out of this state!!!

I wonder if I will see an equitable decrease in my property tax bill now that they've found this new source of revenue?

meeper hasn't seen today's washington post I take it... 240 million budget shortfall due to housing... just in our fine county.

They seem to be intent on sucking us dry like a french whore.

I actually did see that, and got a good chuckle out of it too. It's the only way I can deal with it anymore. What the heck do they do with all this money??


RESton Peace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> meeper hasn't seen today's washington post I take
> it... 240 million budget shortfall due to
> housing... just in our fine county.
>
> They seem to be intent on sucking us dry like a
> french whore.

I'd tell you to ask Martha Pennino if she were still with us. I believe she wrote the bible on corruption and waste in Fairfax.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I actually did see that, and got a good chuckle
> out of it too. It's the only way I can deal with
> it anymore. What the heck do they do with all
> this money??
>
>
> RESton Peace Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > meeper hasn't seen today's washington post I
> take
> > it... 240 million budget shortfall due to
> > housing... just in our fine county.
> >
> > They seem to be intent on sucking us dry like a
> > french whore.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I actually did see that, and got a good chuckle
> out of it too. It's the only way I can deal with
> it anymore. What the heck do they do with all
> this money??
>


Well, our ever intelligent voters keep voting for bond after bond after bond ad infinitum. A vast majority of county voters supported these bonds and have nobody to blame but themselves. With this mentality, it will continue to get worse as housing prices slump.

I got lucky, my voting booth broke during this past election. It let me vote for people with no problem, but would not register either a yes or a no vote for the bond referenda. So, I get to be all arrogant about voting, but I don't have to take my part of the blame for the results of the bond issues, no matter how they turn out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2007 10:13AM by RESton Peace.

A tax for fixing our cars? Are they fucking serious?

Well, our ever intelligent voters keep voting for bond after bond after bond

I always vote NO on those bonds, and I also try to convince my friends to do the same. I find that most people just see the ballot and say "Oh good, more money for schools!" and just push "yes" without thinking about what they're really doing. Or they think they are hurting their kids by depriving the schools from the money. It's pretty ridiculous how misunderstood those bond issues really are.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, our ever intelligent voters keep voting for
> bond after bond after bond
>
> I always vote NO on those bonds, and I also try to
> convince my friends to do the same. I find that
> most people just see the ballot and say "Oh good,
> more money for schools!" and just push "yes"
> without thinking about what they're really doing.
> Or they think they are hurting their kids by
> depriving the schools from the money. It's pretty
> ridiculous how misunderstood those bond issues
> really are.

Well said. The logic is almost backwards. Which is worse for the children - not having a state of the art school or passing on a huge debt burden to them. Passing these bonds incentivises leaving the county after being educated because of the tax burden. State of the art schools are not necessary to produce top notch students. Private schools do it with a fraction of the budget.

Sadly, Meeper, you are in the vast minority in this train of thought. Bonds will raise taxes and bankrupt the county because of the amount of money that will have to be put towards servicing the debt each year. I only wish taxpayers were better informed about how bond debt works. They should be given an example credit card statement about how much each individual person would pay over the life of a bond. That might make them think differently.

A bond issue to teach bondage in schools - I think all of us can get behind that. No cost is too high to prepare today's youths for tomorrow's kinky sex.

State inspection going up ten bucks will probably be the first thing people complain about. 1% of vehicle value on the registration fee is going to hurt. They say it is "one time"... does that mean one time per car or one time per owner? In other words, are used cars exempt?

edit to add: info here http://www.thenovaauthority.org/PDFs/Brochures/Vehicle.pdf

but it appears to be per person, the first time you register a car, whatever the source, you are graced with a new 1% value tax.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2007 10:37AM by pgens.

stinkypoon Wrote:
> A tax for fixing our cars? Are they fucking serious?

Hey, maybe you should just start taking Metro and then you wouldn't have to worry about getting your car fixed.

Oh that's right, Metro's hiking their fares and lot fees too!! LOL boy we're getting fucked!

Where o where is the rest of Virginia in our hour of need?

next thing i know my friend who works on my car is gonna have a tax... 1 beer for every 3...

bastards!

...

btw that 'initial registration' tax is BS though... people already have to pay 3% for the Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax..

They should just raise the taxes on Cigatettes and alcahol as planned by 50% or whatever it was. That alone should offset housing slump woes by the end of the year. Why not prey on people's addictions and weaknesses out in the open for once?

i'll drink to that

In order to raise revenue, the county should substantially increase the fines for:

Drunk in Public
Public Urination
Loitering
Littering
Trespassing
Noise Violations, and
Zoning violations such as paving over a front lawn or over crowding.

Obviously no one likes to play more taxes...but lets put this in perspective. The new taxing authority is norhtern virginia based..so instead of sending our tax dollars to Richmond where we end up funding road construction for other areas this money will stay in the norhtern va area..to improve our roads. As far as understanding school and road bond issues..I think this area with it's rather highly educated voting pool...understands exactly how they work...they also realize that infrastructure must be maintained and that to not fund it is as much a tax burden on future generations as the bond itself. And as far as comparing public and private school funding requirments....there is no fair comparison. Private schools are not mandated to provide an education to any handicapped or otherwise challenged students. The private schools in addition only pay their teachers a salary that an illegal immigrant could afford to live on....hey maybe we can get some illegals to teach Spanish in our schools!

Smile..pay the tax..or move to Prince William County.

FYI- Prince William is affected by these new taxes.

Vince Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Obviously no one likes to play more taxes...but
> lets put this in perspective. The new taxing
> authority is norhtern virginia based..so instead
> of sending our tax dollars to Richmond where we
> end up funding road construction for other areas
> this money will stay in the norhtern va area..to
> improve our roads.

This didn't fix the root cause of the tax problem, which is we don't get back a fair share from Richmond. What this "solution" did was say "fine Richmond, we won't fight to get our own money back, just keep it. We'll make up for it by having our citizens send the same amount of money to you as before, plus some more money to us."

The problem is with every million raised by this scam authority the rednecks in Richmond will remove an equal amount from our share of state road money. The thinking is and has always been screw the people in Northern Virginia. Sure we will take their money but F them and their roads.
I have to travel to Richmond on business and I can assure you they hate our guts. You hear it in the offices and in restaurants.

BTW this stupid authority, which no one voted for, will just suck up tax money and hire friends and relatives to do little or no road improvements. It is just another layer of government added on to an already bloated VDOT.

This concept of regional taxation authorities have worked great for regional seaports and airports. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Vince Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Obviously no one likes to play more taxes...but
> lets put this in perspective. The new taxing
> authority is norhtern virginia based..so instead
> of sending our tax dollars to Richmond where we
> end up funding road construction for other areas
> this money will stay in the norhtern va area..to
> improve our roads. As far as understanding school
> and road bond issues..I think this area with it's
> rather highly educated voting pool...understands
> exactly how they work...they also realize that
> infrastructure must be maintained and that to not
> fund it is as much a tax burden on future
> generations as the bond itself. And as far as
> comparing public and private school funding
> requirments....there is no fair comparison.
> Private schools are not mandated to provide an
> education to any handicapped or otherwise
> challenged students. The private schools in
> addition only pay their teachers a salary that an
> illegal immigrant could afford to live on....hey
> maybe we can get some illegals to teach Spanish in
> our schools!
>
> Smile..pay the tax..or move to Prince William
> County.

Yeah, and everybody who voted yes on the latest school bond issue is really aware of the fact that it has 22 million for planning of one elementary school. But of course, the county hasn't built any schools ever so they needed that much for their planning. Yeah right.

If the schools need to be maintained, that should be in the school BUDGET! Not in a bond issue. A bond issue is supposed to be for items that are above and beyond the regular budget. If the county is growing and needs new schools, that should be worked into the budget, not foisted off on future generations to repay. We've had a school bond issue every election for years, doesn't anyone wonder why?

I'm not at all surprised by this new tax/fee system. After Gilmore started the wheels in motion to cut the property tax bills they had to come up with new and inventive ways of getting the millions of dollars they lost. If only the public had really paid attention to what they were doing instead of just looking at the "I'll save $100!" they would have seen there was no way the state could afford not to find another way to get the money, and the citizens are the likeliest source.

These taxes & fees, etc are insidious ways of hiding a new tax. You can bet the politicians are going to highlight the hotel and car rental tax as being primarily funded by non-residents and they won't mention the extra $10 for an inspection or the added labor fee on car repair.

that's what we get for electing democrats.

good job NOVA.

Suburbanite Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, and everybody who voted yes on the latest
> school bond issue is really aware of the fact that
> it has 22 million for planning of one elementary
> school. But of course, the county hasn't built any
> schools ever so they needed that much for their
> planning.

> After Gilmore started the wheels in
> motion to cut the property tax bills they had to
> come up with new and inventive ways of getting the
> millions of dollars they lost. If only the public
> had really paid attention to what they were doing
> instead of just looking at the "I'll save $100!"
> they would have seen there was no way the state
> could afford not to find another way to get the
> money, and the citizens are the likeliest source.

This post shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the car tax. The car tax was originally collected and kept by the counties. The Gilmore plan cut the tax and reimbursed the counties from state funds. Where was the money lost? It was lost to the state, but not the counties. With or without the car tax, Richmond wouldn't have given this area more money for transportation anyway. It has been this way for decades... nothing about the car tax changed it. No one understands the prejudice toward NoVA that is felt by the rest of the state. We are literally hated as "city folk" (I know this because I have extended family in a few rural areas of the state) and if Richmond sent more money up here many lawmakers wouldn't have jobs anymore.

The post also shows a basic ignorance of what goes into putting a campus together. With planning dollars, it isn't just the money needed to create a floor plan. Much of it is legal expense for land acquisitions and right-of-ways, plus environmental impact studies. For every school the county wants to build, there is a lineup of lawyers for neighborhoods and environmental groups that demand environmental impact studies, traffic infrastructure impact studies, etc. This unfortunately costs money.

I agree that people vote in bonds without knowing the impact. I would have had no problem with taxing drivers here to pay for improvements as long as the state matched the raised funds, given it is their responsibility to pay for it anyway and NoVA gets a fraction back of the money it sends south.

Vince Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Obviously no one likes to play more taxes...but
> lets put this in perspective. The new taxing
> authority is norhtern virginia based..so instead
> of sending our tax dollars to Richmond where we
> end up funding road construction for other areas
> this money will stay in the norhtern va area..to
> improve our roads. As far as understanding school
> and road bond issues..I think this area with it's
> rather highly educated voting pool...understands
> exactly how they work...they also realize that
> infrastructure must be maintained and that to not
> fund it is as much a tax burden on future
> generations as the bond itself. And as far as
> comparing public and private school funding
> requirments....there is no fair comparison.
> Private schools are not mandated to provide an
> education to any handicapped or otherwise
> challenged students. The private schools in
> addition only pay their teachers a salary that an
> illegal immigrant could afford to live on....hey
> maybe we can get some illegals to teach Spanish in
> our schools!
>
> Smile..pay the tax..or move to Prince William
> County.


In the next breath, I am sure you would rail against Republicans and their defecit spending at the federal level. What the hell do you think a bond is - it is defecit spending, and highly irresponsible when they are in the 100s of millions every two years.

I think folks also lose sight of the whole reason we even pay taxes. Second only to defense/protection is the basic infrastructure needs of the people. The roads, bridges and interstate highways are supposed to be one of the top priorities when determining the Federal/State/Local budgets. Schools and other public facilities are the next in line.

However, these days there are so many entitlement programs and useless building projects (consider the cost of the downtown Fairfax city project and the amount of new government buildings), that the governments whole reason for being is completely misconstrued. It's not that there aren't enough tax dollars coming in, it's that they are so badly wasted.

Look around during the months of October and November and you'll see perfectly fine roads be repaved, unnecessary traffic lights going up, speed bumps,signs (like changing the name to Fairfax Blvd), and other useless wastes of money. Why? Because they had tax money left over that year and rather than give it back to you, they spend it on anything they can think of.

How much money are we spending to take care of illegal immigrants, on 1 million dollar conference tables, on fire trucks that are too heavy to drive on any local roads, on fancy cop cars and motorcycles that will never be used to catch bad guys, on anti-prostitution squads, and the list goes on and on.

And if you think that this latest round of tax hikes will help, you are sadly mistaken. This will only be the next batch of taxes to go along with our recent Food Tax, Gas Tax, personal property tax, city sticker, pet tax, sin tax, real estate tax, downtown FFX city tax, marriage tax, etc..... And if you truly believe that paying more taxes to help education is working, ask your high school son or daughter who bombed Pearl Harbor, what continent we live in or how a car engine works, then report back. More computers, technology and bigger schools does not equate to better learning if the kids aren't interested or motivated to learn.

When they run out of things to tax us for, they simply increase the taxes.

pgens Wrote:

> The post also shows a basic ignorance of what goes
> into putting a campus together. With planning
> dollars, it isn't just the money needed to create
> a floor plan. Much of it is legal expense for
> land acquisitions and right-of-ways, plus
> environmental impact studies. For every school
> the county wants to build, there is a lineup of
> lawyers for neighborhoods and environmental groups
> that demand environmental impact studies, traffic
> infrastructure impact studies, etc. This
> unfortunately costs money.
>
> I agree that people vote in bonds without knowing
> the impact. I would have had no problem with
> taxing drivers here to pay for improvements as
> long as the state matched the raised funds, given
> it is their responsibility to pay for it anyway
> and NoVA gets a fraction back of the money it
> sends south.


The planning money has nothing to do with land acquisition and even if it did, 22 mil for planning, on top of at least another 2 mil that we've already provided in a previous bond, is extreme. Fairfax owns acres and acres of land, sell the space they aren't using and use that to buy the land.

Planning does not cover construction or land. That's probably going to be another 50 mil when they propose the next damn bond. It'll be the most expensive public school in history and the idiot voters continue to go along with it.

As for the money from the state, we never have gotten our fair share and we never will. Deal with it, but we need to look at the whole picture, FAirfax spends over $11,000 on each and every student. Way more than the state average, way more than the national average and way more than is necessary, particularly when you look at all the fundraising all these schools do for anything extra.

Sports have fundraisers to pay for uniforms, music has fund raisers to pay for music and instruments, PTA's have fundraisers to pay for field trips, library books and numerous other things. What exactly is that $11K buying our students? It isn't any of the above, it isn't the buildings, land or improvements (those are bonds), the teachers say they aren't paid enough to live here, more and more students are driven to school thereby reducing the busing needs-though there are still around 1600 buses, every year the schools run out of basic supplies-copy paper, etc, students are expected to bring in pencils, crayons, tissues, glue and glue sticks, markers, etc, where the hell is the money going?

I can deal with paying for a lot, but $22 million, on top of an already given $2 mil is a bit much for planning for one school, particularly when so many things from recently built schools can be just duplicated and there are older schools that aren't even on the CIP that are falling apart and need serious upgrades.

The county keeps asking to put us more in debt, we agreed to debts of $290 million in '03, $246 mil in '05 and now $365 mil in '07. When are we going to realize that we need to change our budget to cover these costs? And all of these issues are separate from the other bonds that have passed for parks or emergency services or transportation issues.

You'd think for all the money the county, state, and feds take from us at gunpoint, they could do something about the teeming masses of illegal Mexicans who have brought their third world culture and disease with them. How is it that our gov't has spent a trillion dollars to defend the borders of Iraq and can't be bothered to lift a finger to defend the borders of the USA?

Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Well...like they used to say in the Army, "Bend over and spread your cheeks,
Here comes the Green Weinie". In this case, "green" means $$$$.

ferfux Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They should just raise the taxes on Cigatettes and
> alcahol as planned by 50% or whatever it was.
> That alone should offset housing slump woes by
> the end of the year. Why not prey on people's
> addictions and weaknesses out in the open for
> once?

i agree. quiting is always free... for now.


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Comparing federal deficit spending and state and local use of bond funding is an apples to oranges comparison. First of all...if the federal deficit spending was used for educating our children...reducing crime in this country.......infrastructure improvements and maintenance I might support it...but it isnt. It's spent to support the war and Congressional pet projects with low payback to our quality of life.

As with any debt technique it is not in and of itself bad or good. If you borrow money at 5% and spend it properly in high payback/important projects improving our quality of life it is a good thing. Today fairfax County enjoys Aaa/AAA/AAA-rated credit rating. This is very high and is the result of proper financial management.

The $100,000 speeding tickets aren't enough?

----------------
WHERE'S THE BEEF

Here's a question, I see there is a new 10 dollar fee for safety inspections. My safety sticker expires next month, would it be cheaper to get it done now and not have to pay the fee but at the same time lose a month?

.... you'll just pay that ten dollars a month earlier next year. I think you would call that a "wash".

MY GOD, is this boring or what???



Just pay your freak'in taxes and shut up

.
Attachments:

Interesting VA twist that could possibly mitigate some of these fees, plus greatly reduce hassle. Good for Kaine if this gets through. This would mean only one trip every two years, which could cover both state inspection and emissions tests. Italics/bold mine:



Kaine Proposes No New Taxes in Budget Plan
December 17, 2007 - 10:20am

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Governor Timothy Kaine is proposing no new taxes in the state's next two-year budget.

Kaine says he is proposing legislation to raise the fee for getting driver's licenses renewed every five years by $10. He would offset that by requiring car inspections every two years instead of every year. The cost would go from $15 to $20.

In remarks prepared for presentation to the General Assembly's money committees Monday, Kaine says he also wants to give state employees a 3 percent raise but not until the second year of the budget.


http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=1311733



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2007 12:39PM by pgens.

> He would offset that by requiring car inspections every two years instead
of every year. The cost would go from $15 to $20.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love not having to get an inspection every year... But, what this is really saying is that inspections have very little to do with safety, and are essentially just another form of taxation.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love not having to get an inspection every year... But, what this is really saying is that inspections have very little to do with safety, and are essentially just another form of taxation."

Brilliant deduction. Lookie here, Einstein just stopped by.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > He would offset that by requiring car
> inspections every two years instead
> of every year. The cost would go from $15 to
> $20.
>
> Don't get me wrong, I'd love not having to get an
> inspection every year... But, what this is really
> saying is that inspections have very little to do
> with safety, and are essentially just another form
> of taxation.

Marlyand does them either once every two years or only ahead of a new registration, can't remember which. Then again the state of MD-tagged cars is VERY sorry. But if Romney can argue that "fees" aren't "taxes" I guess Kaine can too.

Marlyand does them either once every two years or only ahead of a new registration

It was only required ahead of a new registration when I lived there back in 94/95. I don't know if that has changed.

Maryland is a hellhole. What a piece of junk that state is. Anyone who would want to live there must be retarded. Here is the state flag.
Attachments:

Looks like there's a still a chance that we might not be subjected to all these goofy new taxes after all... the VA Supreme Court is hearing a case today which challenges the authority of the NVTA.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1144221~Va__Supreme_Court_to_hear_NVTA_lawsuit_today.html

Warning -- a new virus is making its way around the Internet. The virus, dubbed Mebroot, lodges it self in the Master Boot Record (MBR), a part of the hard drive responsible for loading the operating system, where it is out of the reach of most anti-virus software.

The virus itself doesn't actually harm a PC, but it does load other software on the computer, including key-loggers that are triggered when a user visits any of 900 financial institutions' Web sites. The virus then captures the user's log-on information and sends it back to the virus writers, who specialize in stealing confidential information.

The virus is classified as a root kit, meaning it hijacks the administrator functions on the computer and evades detection by normal scanning methods, in this case by hiding in the MBR. Few anti-virus programs can detect the virus, and none can remove it. Because of its location in the MBR, the virus cannot be removed once the computer has been booted.

That said, an independent company GMER has developed software that can scan for and remove the rootkit.

Linux.


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Update:

The VA Supreme Court issued a ruling this morning that states that it is unconstitutional for this NOVA Transportation Authority to levy taxes on us.

This means that the new taxes will be repealed.

Good news for all of us. I wonder what they'll think up next.

This is a true victory, and I don't want to know what they'll think up next. How about thinking of ways for Richmond to pay its dues to the cash cow?

If I read the Appeal between the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and NVTA of February 29, 2008 correctly, I believe that the additional taxes proposed are now invalid. Am I correct?




If payment of the regional taxes and fees is to be required by a general law, it is the prerogative and the function of the General Assembly, as provided by Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution, to make that decision, in a manner which complies with the requirements of Article IV, Section 11 of the Constitution. Accordingly, we hold that the provisions of Chapter 896 permitting NVTA to impose the regional taxes and fees are invalid because they violate the Constitution

Hmm, I wonder how I will get my refund for the 10 dollars extra I paid for the state inspection last month.

It's pretty ridiculous when you consider the fact that first their "abusive driver fees" plan was repealed, and now their goofy tax scheme gets struck down. That's a heck of a one-two punch. Can we honestly expect some sort of brilliant plan to keep our tax dollars up here where they belong?

They've fumbled the ball twice now, I wouldn't bet any money on it.

pgens Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a true victory, and I don't want to know
> what they'll think up next. How about thinking of
> ways for Richmond to pay its dues to the cash cow?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2008 12:31PM by TheMeeper.

No, and the creme de la creme is the metro expansion with taxes already raised and tolls already raised to pay for it, with 30 million spent to plan it. Oh yeah and contracted to the big dig geniuses. It's all a fucking joke.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's pretty ridiculous when you consider the fact
> that first their "abusive driver fees" plan was
> repealed, and now their goofy tax scheme gets
> struck down. That's a heck of a one-two punch.
> Can we honestly expect some sort of brilliant plan
> to keep our tax dollars up here where they belong?
>
>
> They've fumbled the ball twice now, I wouldn't bet
> any money it.
>
> pgens Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > This is a true victory, and I don't want to
> know
> > what they'll think up next. How about thinking
> of
> > ways for Richmond to pay its dues to the cash
> cow?

Actually this is the third fumble. The NVTA failed in 2002 to push the gas tax through.

And at the time the NVTA could not answer simple questions such as what were the exact projects they are proposing (they just listed generalizations). It was clear to me (and to the rest of the voters who voted it down) that shenanigans were afoot and the extra tax revenue would just be squandered away in a closed funding system.

Tax revenue from NoVA goes to fund school construction and road construction throughout the state. It is time for the entire state to share the burden of keeping our cash cow rolling. It is time to end this joke of making NoVA send so much money down to Richmond, getting a quarter on the dollar back, and being specifically taxed up here on top of that to pay for the transportation systems that enable schools to be built in rural parts of the state. It's a farce and I'm glad the anti-democratic NVTA (Not Very Trustworthy Activists, Northern Virginia Tax Assessors) is getting blocked at every turn. Maybe their time would be better spent sitting on the steps of the capitol every day with signs demanding that VA own up to its responsibilities to NoVA.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2008 12:55PM by pgens.

you guys should check out this video, it's all about the illegality of the income tax in america. it discusses how the federal income tax is essentially a scam on the american people.



AMERICA : FREEDOM TO FASCISM.

it's so funny how we have funding issues for our roads but meanwhile we spend and spend and spend on shit that we don't need to spend on, or at least spend as much on. like schools, police force, courts, etc etc etc. have you ever seen FC's budget? last I checked about 53% of the money goes towards schools.

I got a fine education through FCPS, and I can't believe that we'd need to spend a penny more. If it was up to me, I'd cut some of the spending to unnecessary portions of the FCPS and spend it on the roads. It's funny that my tax dollars, even while I was working through high school, went to fund sports programs in high school, ones that I wasn't even allowed to try out for. The coach said 'you aren't going to play on the team, so don't even try out'. I wasn't the next Cal Ripkin or Mark McGuire, but I was decent. The coach simply didn't like me. He wouldn't even let me try out. But I paid my tax dollars so that others could. Now that's bullshit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2008 02:54PM by The Economist.

The Economist Wrote:
> AMERICA : FREEDOM TO FASCISM

I watched this documentary last winter after someone here on the forum recommended it. While I don't fully agree with every tenet of Aaron Russo's obvious political agenda, it is certainly an interesting and thought-provoking film. Thanks for reminding me about it, there are a couple of scenes I'd like to re-watch.

http://www.thenovaauthority.org/PDFs/Fact%20Sheets/Taxes%20and%20fees%20Fact%20Sheet%20Final.pdf

A quick link to just how many taxes they had. If you had a car repaired, sold a home or had a state inspection it can add up.

BTW F the county and their new assessments. Appeal each and every one and then maybe these liberal clowns will take notice. I heard today where the board of supervisors are claiming they knew nothing about the land home value scam. Rats leaving the sinking ship.

Amazed that this hasnt gotten more coverage here of FU. Jaw dropping to read the letter from NTVA (Chris Zimmerman) to Kaine. We must raise taxes! We must tax the colonials!

Good fucking god.

pgens Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a true victory, and I don't want to know
> what they'll think up next. How about thinking of
> ways for Richmond to pay its dues to the cash cow?

Yeah! Screw those poor parts of Virginia and give back more money to the richest county!

Neen Wrote:
>> Yeah! Screw those poor parts of Virginia and give back more money to the richest county!

I feel we've earned it. So why not?

so what became of the class action lawsuit against the IRS? It's funny...I have an appeals meeting tomorrow with the US Tax Court. Maybe I can ask them to show me where it says I have to pay taxes.

walkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe I can ask
> them to show me where it says I have to pay taxes.

Knock yourself out

http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=98137,00.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2008 10:47PM by Mofo.

If all you want is low taxes, I've heard Southwest VA has low taxes. I've also heard Somalia has pretty low taxes too. Maybe you anti-tax crusaders should consider moving there.

World class schools, infrastructure to support 1 million residents and a large number of workers, the police needed to maintain the rule of law, and the like cost money.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pgens Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > This is a true victory, and I don't want to
> know
> > what they'll think up next. How about thinking
> of
> > ways for Richmond to pay its dues to the cash
> cow?
>
> Yeah! Screw those poor parts of Virginia and give
> back more money to the richest county!


maybe they'll help me pay my mortgage and commuting costs

perhaps we should have rural taxes on green space to make up for us living with the pollution - a view on being able to see the blue-ridge or the bay or a graduated tax based on distance from the nearest metro station (sorry dulles)

VA needs to split into SoVa and NoVa - or redVa and blueVa

formerhick76 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If all you want is low taxes, I've heard Southwest
> VA has low taxes. I've also heard Somalia has
> pretty low taxes too. Maybe you anti-tax crusaders
> should consider moving there.
>
> World class schools, infrastructure to support 1
> million residents and a large number of workers,
> the police needed to maintain the rule of law, and
> the like cost money.


Too bad none of the NVTAs taxes were going towards these honorable activities.