DLCC: Republicans Will Gut Virginia’s Economy, Funding for Public Education and Public Safety

From the DLCC:

Republicans Will Gut Virginia’s Economy, Funding for Public Education and Public Safety

GOP candidates want to eliminate state income tax equivalent to 72% of state revenue; VA Democrats’ leadership has led Virginia to earn the rank of best state in nation for business

WASHINGTON — Virginia Republican legislative candidates are pushing an absurd proposal to eliminate the state income tax, which would cut about three-fourths of state revenue that funds vital programs like state police, public safety, and public education. This proposal would result in a $10 billion per year loss for public education, kill about 43,000 educator positions, and cost about 178,500 jobs within a year and 2.5 million jobs within the decade. In fact, the Washington Post’s editorial board said this policy would lead Virginia’s economy “into the ditch.”

Not only have Democrats been focused on passing science-based policies so businesses can open safely during the pandemic, they’ve also been looking toward the future, investing in education, workforce training, infrastructure upgrades, and more so the commonwealth will continue to be an economic powerhouse. Due to Virginia Democrats’ smart and forward-looking initiatives, Virginia was named the best state in the nation for business, according to CNBC.

Virginia Republican legislative candidates that support eliminating the state income tax and cutting nearly three-fourths of state revenue include:

• Nick Clemente (HD-10)
• Christopher Stone (HD-13)
• Steve Pleickhardt (HD-50)
• Tim Cox (HD-51)
• Mike Cherry (HD-66)
• Michael Dillender (HD-76)
• Tim Anderson (HD-83)

“Virginia Democrats have undeniably proven that we are the pro-worker, pro-small business, pro-economy, and pro-growth party,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee executive director Heather Williams. “With Democrats at the helm, businesses were able to re-open safely and thrive during the pandemic, helping earn Virginia the rank of the top state in the nation for business this year. Not only have Democrats helped the commonwealth navigate this pandemic, they’ve also been focused on investing in the workforce of the future and ensuring Virginia remains economically competitive. Electing Republicans to the Virginia House would be a sure-fire way to gut Virginia’s economy by eliminating funding for vital public safety and public education, killing jobs, and locking out working families from opportunity and prosperity.”

Virginia Democrats have led the nation in creating an inclusive, prosperous economy for consumers, workers, and businesses owners alike by:

• Raising the minimum wage
• Allocating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to help local businesses survive the pandemic
• Passing tax breaks for small businesses struggling during the pandemic
• Replenishing $800 million to the state’s unemployment fund without raising taxes on small businesses
• Funding vocational education and job-training in high schools and junior colleges to create a pipeline of qualified workers in high-demand fields like health care, manufacturing and skilled trades