Did you know that gasoline and diesel taxes have gone up 150 percent in the last four years?
Thomas Jefferson Institute Senior Fellow Steve Haner wrote all about it in Bacon's Rebellion last Saturday. You can read it here.
Four years ago, the tax was only 16.2 cents per gallon. But in 2020, then-Governor Ralph Northam pushed legislation through a supportive General Assembly to both raise the tax and automatically raise it for inflation – and with Bidenflation, that automatic hike has been massive.
So on July 1, the tax rises to 40.4 cents per gallon.
Almost as bad, the Division of Motor Vehicles hides the tax on its website and you have to look at three different web pages to put it all together. Fortunately, Steve does it for you in his commentary here.
This is the way the Left works: It imposes an inflation adjustment on a tax that is causing inflation.
But when it comes to protecting taxpayers from the ravages of that same inflation, the Left consistently blocks the Thomas Jefferson Institute proposal to index tax brackets and standard deductions. Our proposal would shield taxpayers from being taxed on increased income that is just trying to keep up with inflation, but now drives taxpayers into higher rates..
Yesterday, Governor Youngkin announced that Virginia will exit the mandate passed in 2021 requiring that Virginians conform to California's all-electric car requirement in just a few short years. The Thomas Jefferson Institute played a role in reversing the requirement, issuing early warnings about the implications of the EV Mandate, releasing a poll showing voters opposed the mandate 64-33%, and made the mandate the subject of our educational social media campaign. We played a similar role in reversing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
So I just wanted to let you know this: We are going to continue fighting for inflation-adjustments for taxpayers. After all, if its good enough for government, its good enough for the people who finance that government.
But for now, I wanted to call your attention to Steve's fine alert of the gas tax increase facing you July 1.
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