During a weeklong tour of the state, Americans for Prosperity is calling on the Virginia Legislature to stop spending.
Representatives from the Virginia chapter of the national foundation, aimed at educating citizens about economic policy, said the fiscal 2007-08 state budget of $74 billion set a record for state spending.
“Over the past decade we’ve seen a 111 percent increase in spending,” said Whitney Duff, the Virginia state AFP director. She noted the state’s population has increased by about 12 percent within the same time period.
Instead of spending $37 million on “pork” grants for museums and tourist destinations, the state should reform its budget process, and increase accountability and financial restraint, Duff said.
“We recognize these problems are systemic and a part of the spending culture that is in need of substantive reform. By educating and engaging the taxpayers of Virginia, we will work to change these problems from the ground up,” she said.
“We are trying to figure out the reasons why the budget expanded so much. I really don’t see the benefit of it. My taxes are going up, but my roads are still clogged,” said Fasil Gill, chairman of the Prince William Taxpayers Alliance.
“It is easier said than done,” said Del. David Albo, R-Springfield.
Albo recently came under fire during the General Assembly’s special session, when he led House Republicans against Gov. Tim Kaine’s proposal to spend $29 million on various programs around the state in addition to the proposed budget.
“People like myself and others went ahead and voted to stop the governor from spending $29 million, and no letters came from Americans for Tax Reform. Instead, I got clobbered by the liberals,” Albo said.
“Eighty percent of the budget is comprised of education, health care, debt service on funding prison construction, car tax rebate and the rainy day fund. If they are proposing cuts in any of those five, I’d be interested to hear what they are,” said Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria.
He said the commonwealth has been named the best-managed state by the Government Performance Project, the best place to do business by Forbes, and ranks 41st highest in the nation for its state- and local-tax burden on citizens, according to the Tax Foundation.
“Reform sounds more like rhetoric than any responsible suggestions,” said Moran, who joked that the tour may not get to their destinations on time due to the lacking transportation infrastructure.
