Slimy, Extreme Virginia Del. Tim Hugo (R) Strikes Again – on Tax Preparation and Personal Gifts. This November, Let’s Replace Him with Dan Helmer (D).

The last time we wrote about Virginia Del. Tim Hugo (R-HD40) was back in March, when Anti-Transit, “Anti-Tax Hard-Liner” Del. Tim Hugo (R) Draws Small Crowd to Kickoff in District Tim Kaine Won by 18 Points in 2018. Prior to that, in February, we posted a press release by the Virginia House Democrats that ripped Hugo for his “Trump-style tax plan” that “provides little relief for working-class Virginians.” Then there was this disgrace, in which Hugo lied and lied and lied some more about clean energy, Virginia’s power rates, etc, etc. Utterly dishonest and a tool of the fossil fuel industry; that’s Tim Hugo. A few more gems from Tim Hugo? How about:

• Audio: Del. Tim Hugo (R) Claims Virginia “One Heart Attack Away From Being Massachusetts or Maryland”
• VA Dems Chair: “Whenever you’re stuck in traffic, don’t get mad at the cars in front of you. Get mad at Tim Hugo.
• Arlington County Board Unanimously Asks Gov. Northam to Veto Tim Hugo’s “Dangerous” Country Club Bill
• Tim Hugo Puts the F-I-X in Fairfax Judicial Nominations
• Video: Delegates Jim LeMunyon (R) and Tim Hugo (R) Blow Off League of Women Voters Forum

In sum, it really never ends with Tim Hugo; he’s basically the worst of the worst, and in a district won by Tim Kaine (58.1%-40.0%), Ralph Northam (55%-44%) and by Hillary Clinton (52%-43%), no less. This situation has to end in November, with voters electing Democrat Dan Helmer the godawful Hugo.

But wait, are the items above not motivation enough to ditch Hugo? Yep, believe it or not, there’s more!

First, check check out Congress Is About to Ban the Government From Offering Free Online Tax Filing – Thank TurboTax, in which our pal Hugo plays a prominent role.

Just in time for Tax Day, the for-profit tax preparation industry is about to realize one of its long-sought goals. Congressional Democrats and Republicans are moving to permanently bar the IRS from creating a free electronic tax filing system.

[…]

In one of its provisions, the bill makes it illegal for the IRS to create its own online system of tax filing. Companies like Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, and H&R Block have lobbied for years to block the IRS from creating such a system. If the tax agency created its own program, which would be similar to programs other developed countries have, it would threaten the industry’s profits.

[…]

Free File Alliance Executive Director Tim Hugo called it “a great idea when you can provide a great product — free tax returns — to Americans at no cost to the federal government.”

Yep, that’s Virginia’s own Tim Hugo right there. And who is he allied with – and why? As this article points out: “Ideologues like [anti-tax zealot Grover] Norquist recognize that it would be bad for their cause if more Americans routinely have a simple, pleasant interactions with their government – especially of the sort that ends with the government sending many of them a check. The new legislation is therefore a boon to conservatives bent on dismantling public services writ large, as it shuts off the prospect of the government demonstrating it can provide good service.” Great, huh?

Meanwhile, while Hugo works to enrich the industry he lobbies for, he’s scooping up gifts/paid conferences faster than anyone else in the Virginia General Assembly. That includes $13,484 from a foreign government for “cultural exchange,” and $1,707 from the far-right American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which a bunch of companies have quit because of “its [extreme] stance on climate change, tort reform and gun control.” But Tim Hugo is their buddy – and given his utterly abysmal ratings when it comes to workers’ rights, environmental protection, LGBT equality, women’s reproductive freedom, etc, etc., one can see why that’s the case! By the way, note that on the gifts, Hugo’s number increased from $1,597 in 2017 to $15,191 in 2018, far higher than the vast majority of his colleagues.

In sum, for a wide range of reasons – including the fact that he’s an ethical swamp and out of the mainstream – Hugo should be Democrats’ top target for replacing in the Virginia House of Delegates this November. Go Dan Helmer!