Good to see the Arlington County Board – including Republican John Vihstadt – unanimous on this one. For more on why Gov. Northam absolutely should veto this absurd tax-breaks-for-wealthy-country-clubs-while-screwing-Arlington bill by “anti-tax hardliner” Del. Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax), see Godawful Del. Tim Hugo (R) Bill Would Screw Arlington, Lavish Big $$$ on Super-Rich People, Weaken Local Autonomy vs State AND Set a Horrible Precedent – VETO! and The Arlington Country Clubs Tim Hugo Wants to Help Are Doing Just Fine, Thank You Very Much! As the following letter from all five Arlington County Board members explains (bolding added by me for emphasis):
- “In an effort to provide preferential tax treatment to two golf clubs in Arlington, the bill conflicts with the Constitution and Code of Virginia, sets a dangerous precedent for real property tax assessment decisions to be made in Richmond instead of at the local level, and undermines state laws related to the preservation of open space.”
- “Enacting this legislation is a dangerous intrusion into the local real estate assessment process which has traditionally been the sole province of local decision making, and sets a dangerous precedent…”
- “this legislated tax relief solely for two golf clubs has a substantial budgetary impact on Arlington County at the expense of schools, public safety, public services, public health, and transportation…”
In sum, this one should be a super-easy call for Gov. Northam – VETO!
h/t: ArlNow
UPDATE Wednesday 11 am: Can anyone figure out what Gov. Northam said about what he’s going to do with the country clubs bill? Sounded like a veto, but then the more he talked…maybe not?
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