Newly elected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, used the national spotlight for the State of the Union response to make affordability promises. By Friday, Virginia Democrats had shot down a policy that would put more money back in Virginians’ pockets.
“I am working with our state Legislature to lower costs and make the commonwealth more affordable, and it’s not just me,” Spanberger said in her response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union.
“Democrats across the country are laser focused on affordability in our nation’s capital and in state capitals and communities across America,” she claimed during the televised speech in Williamsburg, Virginia.
On Thursday, Republican Virginia state Sen. Glen Sturtevant proposed a budget amendment to cut the car tax, more commonly known as “the most hated tax” in Virginia, he joked.
Sturtevant’s amendment failed, however, after every Democrat voted to keep the car tax in place.
“Virginians were promised affordability. During last year’s gubernatorial debate, Governor Spanberger said she supported getting rid of the car tax,” Sturtevant told The Daily Signal. “But when we had the opportunity to act on that promise through my budget amendment, every Democrat voted no.”
The Virginia car tax is a personal property tax based on the value of the car that car owners have to pay every year. The tax revenue goes towards the taxpayers’ locality rather than the state.
“During the campaign, both candidates for governor ran on eliminating the most-hated car tax,” state Del. Anne Ferrell Tata told The Daily Signal. “Democrats spent all campaign season talking about affordability but have done nothing to deliver for Virginians.”
Just before Democrats voted to keep the car tax, which, for a family with two cars in Fairfax, Virginia, costs almost $500 per year, Democrats in the Senate voted to increase their own paychecks by 300%. Teachers, meanwhile, got a 3% raise.
Virginia state senators will now make roughly $54,000 for less than 60 days of work. That equals $900 per day. That’s about the amount some Virginia teachers make in a year.
Since Spanberger took office, Democrats have introduced over 50 new tax bills to implement in Virginia.
“What we’re seeing is a consistent pattern. Democrats campaign as moderates focused on affordability, but once in office they advance policies that increase costs for families,” said Sturtevant.
“This session alone, we’ve seen movement on a new payroll tax through SB 2, continued support for costly energy mandates under the Virginia Clean Economy Act, and policies like participation in [the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative] that have added roughly $500 million in energy costs passed on to ratepayers,” he continued.
Sturtevant told The Daily Signal he doesn’t believe this vote was symbolic. “It was a real opportunity to deliver meaningful tax relief to working families struggling with inflation, rising utility bills, and higher costs across the board,” he claimed.
“If Virginia Democrats are serious about affordability, they should start by voting for real tax relief instead of just talking about it on the campaign trail,” Sturtevant concluded.
Spanberger was unable to be reached for comment.