The major focus of the Democratic statewide candidates in Virginia have been raising gas taxes or at least, implying that they might be open to the idea.   Creigh Deeds talked about raising the gas tax by more than $1 billion after the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce debate, then after the debate in Richmond earlier this week to fund his not-yet-released transportation plan.  Jody Wagner, who is running for Lieutenant Governor, has a history of supporting higher taxes, and she will support Deeds’ initiative.  Steve Shannon, who is running for Attorney General, also supported several tax increases while serving as Delegate.

Do we need a Governor and Lieutenant Governor who is in favor of raising taxes on Virginia families?  In light of the current economic situation in Virginia (especially Southside, where unemployment is at 20%), working families will be hurt by these tax increases to fund transportation.  It will also hurt those in Northern Virginia, who will be hammered with another tax on transportation, only to see that money being redirected to other areas in the Commonwealth.

Perhaps, we should look for leadership that recognizes the detrimental impact that increased taxes will have on families and will work towards common sense solutions to fix Virginia’s transportation woes.