Virginia voters who were promised affordability by Democrats are now watching their leaders toy with an expanding menu of new taxes that would hit everyday life, from gym workouts to Netflix nights at home.
According to Gateway Pundit, Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger is entertaining the idea of signing legislation that would impose taxes on gym memberships and streaming services if such bills make it to her desk. As reported by the outlet, Virginias new governor has teased that she may sign a new tax on gym memberships and streaming services if the bills ever reach her desk, raising obvious questions about where this tax-hiking agenda ends and how any of it squares with campaign rhetoric about easing financial burdens.
Spanberger, a former intelligence officer who became governor in January, has made clear she is looking for unorthodox ways to create new revenue streams in Virginia, rather than seriously considering reductions in the size and scope of state government. When pressed on this so-called liberal wish list of taxation opportunities that Democrats are attempting to pass in her state, the governor refused to give a straight answer, underscoring the lack of transparency that often accompanies tax-and-spend schemes.
New legislation introduced in the Virginia General Assembly proposed expanding taxes to a wide range of services, including storage facilities, counseling, dry cleaning, vehicle repair, website design, data storage and digital subscription storage. Another measure, HB978, floated a tax on retail sales of services, explicitly sweeping in fitness memberships and athletic club services, a direct hit on families trying to stay healthy and active.
These controversial tax bills failed to clear the General Assembly before the session ended on March 14, meaning they never reached Spanbergers deskat least not yet. But the speed with which Spanberger and her Democrat allies moved to craft new levies shows their priorities clearly, and for many conservatives, it confirms what they warned all along: The people of Virginia were warned. They ultimately chose poorly.
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