A 1% sales tax only in NOVA for NOVA treansportation projects?? Under that justification, paying extra taxes for "local" services, will I still have to pay my portion of state taxes that support transportation projects in ROVA?

Get my drift...

He wants to "do" a 1 percent increase in Northern Virginia's sales tax?

Huh.

The citizens of Northern Virginia have already rejected a 1/2% sales tax increase via a referendum. Why on earth does Gov Kaine think that Northern Virginians want a 1% sales tax increase?

Gov Kaine should study some history or at least pick up a newspaper every once in a while.

By the way, I think calling it a 1% tax increase makes it sound like less of an increase than it really is.

You sales tax rate is currently 5%. Gov Kaine wants to raise it to 6%, which means he wants your sales tax to be a full 20 (yes, TWENTY) percent higher than it is right now.

Does anyone actually believe it's a good idea to make the sales tax 20% higher than it is right now? Does anyone actually believe that that money, as well as the money VA would have spent here anyway, would actually find its way up to NoVA? Hah. If so, I've got some swampland and overpriced condos in Woodbridge I'd like to sell ya.

So this is always the problem. Everybody wants to fix the state's transportation problems, but they'd like to do it without paying any taxes. Maybe if we all close our eyes and wish hard enough...

BTW, gasoline is not a necessity, like food or medicine. It's a luxury.

If your bills are higher than your income, you have two choices. Get rid of some bills or bring in more money. Nobody likes taxes, but everybody wants services! Well, you can't have both. All I hear is no higher taxes, but no one gives an alternative solution to the problem.

No, everybody does not want to fix the state's transportation problems. There are NIMBYs to oppose new roads, connecting existing roads, new Metro stations or lines, development next to existing Metro stations, or anything else you can dream up.

NOVA = NIMBY

DR, how about selling NOVA to Dubai?

Someone should make sure he is driven through the 28/Waxpool interchange right around 5:30/6:00pm, on his way to the Route 28/Route 7 interchange - both of which could have been better designed by blind monkeys with crayons.

DC: I think that people accept they have to pay for infrastructure improvements. In VA, there have always been concerns that the NoVa and Tidewater areas - those who put the most $$$ into the Commonwealth's pot - don't get their fair share out of it. I don't know if that's a fair concern or not, but it seems to be what a lot of people believe.

I am not against a tax increase IF the Governor can show us places where he can and will trim some fat out of the budget and if he can demonstrate he'll apply all the new revenue associated with this tax to Northern Virginia projects only. Somehow, I doubt he'll do that. People hate to trim the fat.

I believe in transit-oriented development but part of that means the developers should have to pay their fair share for infrastructure improvements. Promised improvements and proffers in Fairfax County are often a joke, but I think there is a movement in the right direction in recent years because of citizen involvement. We saw at least one BOS member tossed last election. This responsiveness-to-citizens on development issues was an issue for John Foust (D-Drainsville) when he defeated the incumbent. I haven't met too many NIMBYs, but I have met people who will point out when the Emporer has no clothes.

Transit-oriented development goes nowhere as long as NIMBYs oppose development next to Metro stations, the clearest, best, and most defensible example of transit-oriented development. This has already been a problem at Vienna and Braddock Road and probably many other locations.