HB 1135, HB 1351, HB 188, HB 243, HB 334, HB 341, HB 378, hb 550, HB 557, HB 563, HB 720, HB 784, HB 897, HB 919, HB 946, HB 959, HB 961, HB 978, SB 400, SB 763. I oppose all of these bills.

I strongly support a more progressive and fair tax system. As the Federal government guts services, Virginia needs new sources of revenue if we want to maintain our school lunch programs, rural hospitals, green infrastructure investment, and effective emergency response programs. Currently our taxes cap out at $17,000, putting the burden on those who can least afford to pay. I urge you to invest in Virginia, and pass the Fair Share Tax reforms.

I respectfully oppose HB 188. A new 10% marginal tax on income over $1 million would make Virginia’s top tax rate more than double its current 5.75% rate and significantly higher than most neighboring states; North Carolina’s flat rate is 3.99%, West Virginia’s top rate is 4.82%, and Tennessee has no tax on wage income. High-income taxpayers often include entrepreneurs, business owners, and investors who create jobs and invest locally; a sharp tax increase threatens Virginia’s economic competitiveness and could encourage relocation to lower-tax states, shrinking the tax base over time. Virginia already collects significant revenue from gambling taxes; for example, online sports betting taxed at 15% recently generated more than $90 million in a single year and there is room to increase these rates or expand taxes on other vices like tobacco, alcohol, and, if legalized, cannabis. These “vice taxes” align revenue with social costs and place the burden on consumption that has public health implications, rather than penalizing income earners. If additional revenue is needed for public schools, childcare, and housing, the General Assembly should explore smarter, targeted revenue streams and spending efficiencies rather than a punitive income tax increase that risks driving investment and taxpayers out of Virginia. Thank you for considering my views.

OPPOSED to these bills!!!

I oppose HB 188. Virginia taxes are already too high: Virginia has a 5.75% top income tax rate, compared to the 3.99% top income tax rate in North Carolina. Yet this bill would raise taxes even higher, giving Virginia a 10% tax rate, much higher than most states in this country. 10% is much higher than the rates in most neighboring states, such as Kentucky (which has a top rate of 3.5%), Tennessee (which has no state income tax at all), and West Virginia (which has a top rate of 4.82%). Virginia is richer than those states and has a bigger tax base, so Virginia should be able to get by with lower tax rates than most of its neighbors, such as North Carolina. Yet under this bill, the top rate in Virginia would be more than twice as high as in most neighboring states. This bill also might cause Virginia's tax base to shrink, by driving wealthy and productive residents to other states where taxes are lower. An earlier comment describes how a tax on millionaires led to an exodus of high-income people from another state, reducing that state's tax revenue, and leaving it worse off as a result of the tax increase. It would be a bad idea to raise tax rates if so many people or businesses leave the state that the state ends up with very little additional revenue, or even possibly less revenue as a result of the tax increase.

My name is Jessica Mott, of Arlington VA, representing the Virginia Grassroots Coalition. This statewide coalition is comprised of more than 55 grassroots groups and tens of thousands of voters. We ask you to please support a “fair share tax” by creating a new tax bracket for millionaires, through passage of HB979 (Watts), HB1074 (Hernandez), or HB188 (Convirs-Fowler), or a reconciled combination of these bills’ provisions. We share the concerns of many Virginia legislators about the significant cuts and expensive regulatory requirements at the federal level, and the need to ensure funds and access for all to health, food security, education, childcare, and other essential services in the upcoming state budget. We believe Virginia needs new sources of revenue for these increased budget requirements, prioritizing measures which make our tax system more progressive, i.e., imposing higher tax rates on individuals with high income and wealth, thus taking into account their ability to pay and maintaining the overall focus of the Governor on affordability. Increasing the income tax rate provides an effective and fair way to address this need. Currently, all income in excess of $17,000 is taxed by the state at the marginal rate of only 5.75 percent! Accordingly, we ask that you pass one of proposed fair share tax bills, or a reconciled combination of them. In view of our priority of promoting progressive tax measures, we support HB979 with its higher 10% rate for those with income above $1 million and the 8% bracket for those with income between $600,000 and $ 1 million. We also urge you to include HB979’s provision to exempt food and hygiene products from local sales taxes. We note that HB979 and HB188 specify an allocation for education, and in the case of HB188, also for childcare and housing. HB1074 supports a health insurance subsidy. We support these or alternatively, ensuring that the main budget directly accommodates these needs. Thank you for taking our views into consideration.

Abjectly opposed to ANY new taxes for ANY reason. We have an overabundance of money in this state as it is and are taxed enough.

This bill to revise the tax code is long overdue. There is large public support for progressive taxation. While the state has a budget surplus, it has come at the neglect of our public schools, support of working families everywhere with child care, and affordable housing. The bulk of mainstream academic research finds that interstate differences in taxes, including differences in top personal income tax rates, have minimal effects on state economic growth. Nor will the wealthy run away from VA. State taxes on the wealthy have minimal impact on their decision to move out of state. Most wealthy individuals are anchored by family, business interests, and social networks.

As a Virginia resident and voter, I am writing to let you know that I strongly oppose HB243, HB 978, HB188, and HB 979. Virginians are already burdened with high taxes and high cost of living. These bills will only further punish those paying taxes in this state and will likely drive taxpayers, including those with very high incomes, to other states with lower tax burdens. Please reconsider. The prior administration left the state with a surplus. Increased taxes should not be needed to meet the needs of the state.

I support HB188, or the millionaire's tax. Fairfax County Public Schools is facing over a $100 million budget deficit for next year, and the proposed allocation reduces the strain on the General Fund without requiring a regressive sales tax. Currently, the tax would impact less than 0.5% of Virginians and is expected to raise over $1 billion annually. A similar "Fair Share" amendment in Massachusetts from 2022 raised $5.7 billion, doubling forecasts and contributing 5% of the state budget. Furthermore, the number of millionaires in MA since then increased by 30%, dispelling concerns of a rich exodus. I believe this bill will significantly raise Virginians' quality of life without raising the cost of living.

States with high taxes are losing population and wealth. Ny,nj,il,ca.md Losing Nc, tn,fl,sc winning Virginia is neutral.

I oppose HB188. Virginians are already under significant financial pressure as the cost of housing, food, fuel, insurance, and other necessities continues to rise while wages fail to keep pace with inflation. The declining purchasing power of the U.S. dollar has further strained household budgets, particularly in Northern Virginia, where residents have faced additional regional and local tax increases in recent years. Creating a new state income tax bracket only adds to this growing sense of tax fatigue.HB188 also raises serious concerns about Virginia’s economic competitiveness. High-income earners often include small business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors who drive job creation and long-term economic growth. Increasing the top marginal tax rate risks discouraging future investment and incentivizing businesses and skilled professionals to relocate to lower-tax states, weakening Virginia’s tax base over time rather than strengthening it. Virginia has historically benefited from a reputation as a stable, business-friendly Commonwealth with predictable tax policy. HB188 moves the state toward policies seen in jurisdictions that struggle with out-migration and reduced investment. Rather than raising taxes during a period of economic uncertainty, the General Assembly should focus on affordability, responsible budgeting, and policies that allow Virginians to keep more of their hard-earned income.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB175. Imagine two service members, both mortally injured in the same line-of-duty incident. What is the difference between the first service member, who lingers 15 days in the hospital before dying, and the second one, who lingers 15 months before also succumbing? The first will be categorized as "active duty deceased" while the second will be categorized as a "100% disabled veteran." Can anyone explain why full tax relief for the first surviving spouse is to be decided by the locality (via local ordinance) while full tax relief for the second surviving spouse is guaranteed by the Commonwealth? To make this inequity clearer, imagine the second service member recovers from the incident, is medically retired from active duty, receives their 100% veteran disability rating, and later dies as a result of their own gross negligence unrelated to their service-connected injuries. The veteran's spouse will still qualify for full tax relief. The first service member’s surviving spouse, however, remains subject to the whims of local government for full tax relief, not to mention the line-of-duty designation required to receive any tax relief. This difference in treatment is not a constitutional variance; it was created by the General Assembly with good intention, yet with insufficient consideration. If you’re going to continue offering tax relief to surviving spouses, please treat service members' survivors the same as disabled veterans' survivors and simply provide the same tax relief calculations for both. I respectfully request a re-write of this bill to make it so. Thank you for your civic service and thoughtful consideration of this request.

When Maryland raised taxes on millionaires in 2007, many moved out of state, resulting in Maryland raising less revenue as a result, according to the Tax Foundation: "The Comptroller of Maryland has reported that the number of 'millionaire' returns tumbled sharply between 2007 and 2008, a 30% drop in filers and 22% drop in declared income. Rather than income taxes from this group rising by $106 million, they fell by $257 million….One-in-eight millionaires who filed a Maryland tax return in 2007 filed no return in 2008….A Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysis of federal tax return data on people who migrated from one state to another found that Maryland lost $1 billion of its net tax base in 2008 by residents moving to other states." Some rich people can move across the border to neighboring states where there is no state income tax, like Tennessee, or where tax rates are lower, like North Carolina (3.99%), Kentucky (3.5%), and West Virginia (4.82%). If they are retirees, they can move to Florida, which has no state income tax.