Tag: Stephen D. Haner
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Bacon Bits: Taxaginia, SCC Approvals, Blue VA
The Taxaginia Total: $1.7 Billion in 2020 The four taxes I wrote about in “Taxaginia” last month could reach a combined fiscal impact of $1.7 billion by about 2020. In preparation for a talk (which I will not get to give today after all), I did a bit more digging and some additional information has…
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The Push for EITC Cash Grants Accelerates
With the 2019 General Assembly now a handful of weeks away, the main advocacy group for a new cash welfare entitlement in Virginia is ramping up its efforts with various appeals, perhaps testing themes for later use. On Wednesday on its website the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis was arguing that the state Earned Income…
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State Colleges Face New Financial Stress Test
The Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts has applied a nationally-recognized strategic financial analysis tool to Virginia’s fourteen public colleges and universities, revealing that only one – the University of Virginia – has a strong financial foundation and several are vulnerable to stress. The work done by Eric Sandridge, Director of Higher Education Programs at the…
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Dominion Grid Plan Battered in Testimony
Two witnesses told the State Corporation Commission Tuesday that Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposed grid transformation program will not bring the utility’s customers into the modern energy economy. Both Scott Norwood of Texas, an expert witness often used by the Office of the Attorney General, and Caroline Golin, an expert from Georgia hired by environmental groups,…
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Confusion, Silence Will Earn Business Higher Taxes
“I’m not going to get into it unless anybody wants me to.” So said Kristin Collins, policy development director for the Virginia Department of Taxation, as she neared the end of her November 19 slide presentation on federal tax conformity and its impact on Virginia state taxes. The final handful of slides focused on the business…
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SCC Staff: Convert A Dominion RAC Into A PPA
“Facts are facts, and the SCC does a really good job of compiling them.” Former State Senator John Watkins of Chesterfield. After demonstrating that two solar energy facilities Dominion Energy Virginia has proposed in a deal with Facebook leave ratepayers holding all risks, reported already in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the State Corporation Commission staff suggested…
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Do They Want a Low Tariff? Or A Higher One?
Unlike most we met, the wine salesman in the shop in St. Emilion did not speak English well, but as he poured samples it began to matter less. When he heard we were from Virginia, though, his response was quick: “Oh, good wines!” We had to agree, but the case we shipped home was pure…
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Delayed, ACP Price Tag Reaches $7 Billion
Delays mainly caused by continuing regulatory battles have added another half a billion dollars to the price tag for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project now crossing Virginia. Dominion Resources CEO Thomas Farrell used a new top figure of $7 billion in a discussion of the project with investors and analysts on November 1. Back in…
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Medicaid Is The Story With State Budget
The General Assembly’s key money committees gathered in their annual end-of-year financial retreats last week to talk about Medicaid. Sure, the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget delves into plenty of other areas that were mentioned, and the Amazon location announcement grabbed headlines, but the meetings were about Medicaid. The explosive and uncontrolled growth of Medicaid is all…
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Just Give It Back and Here’s How
A joke making the rounds Wednesday had Governor Ralph Northam agreeing that Virginians did deserve a return of the windfall tax increase flowing to the state due to conformity, but we’d have to take it as Amazon Prime memberships. Don’t expect laughter if the 2019 General Assembly votes out a massive multi-year incentive package for…
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Unprecedented Details Available on Amazon Deal
The most unprecedented thing about the state and local incentive package for Amazon announced yesterday is its transparency. Never has this much detailed information been provided to the general public immediately upon announcement, outside the protection of a non-disclosure agreement, and apparently the details will continue to flow. Virginia Economic Development Partnership President Steve Moret…
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Grousing on a Grey and Wet Friday
“It’s the end of the world as we know it.” More than 30 years ago I told Jim Gilmore that his election as Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney was the most important Republican victory on the ballot that year, so it’s only fair to recognize that the real bell weather Tuesday was the election of a…
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No Excuses for Chesterfield Voting Problems
I’ve been an election officer twice now, for the June primary and now for this massive mid-term election, so that makes me a real expert, right? Hardly. But I read the Richmond Times-Dispatch story about the problems Tuesday in Chesterfield County with deeper insight than I would have a year ago. Know first that after…
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Updates: VCCS Transfers and Dominion Taxes
A Good Idea Which Is Spreading A recent announcement from the Virginia Community College System provides a nice enhancement to an earlier Bacon’s Rebellion story about the smooth transition VCCS students can make to certain Virginia public universities. A new articulation agreement has been signed with private Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. The new agreement covers transfers…
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Taxaginia? Conformity Tax Would Be Number Four
Each of the four tax increases I discussed in this guest column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch today has a strong constituency behind it, and logical arguments in its favor. Only one is in effect now (the hospital provider taxes), and the other three are merely pending. Only one of them, amendments to the sales and…