Jim Bowden has noticed that the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority has issued a release on the taxes it would have collected but for the Supreme Court junking their plans. Bowden takes it to mean the HRTA intends to start taking in the taxes as if the Supreme Court decision didn’t exist. I’m not so sure of that, given that the language specifically says the taxes will be collected “to the fullest extent permitted by law” – which in this case would be not permitted at all.
However, this release is important for what it says about the upcoming special session on transportation – and it’s not good. I’m guessing the HRTA wouldn’t have even bothered to put this out unless they thought the state legislature would restore the taxes in some form. Since the only people who are actually pushing these taxes are Bill Howell and his minions in the House GOP leadership, that pretty much means – as we expected – that the House GOP leadership will be as useless this summer as they were last spring.
Meanwhile, the one transportation plan that does not ask the taxpayers to cough up more money is waiting for a sponsor in the legislature.
May 12, 2008 at 8:57 am |
I’m not sure what the missive means. It reads like they are going ahead. I don’t get it. Need a good lawyer here.