Virginia Constitutional Amendment on Ballot Tomorrow

[ShotgunBlast]

Virginians: in addition to voting for your elected officials tomorrow, there will be a proposed state constitutional amendment for you to vote on offering to exempt from local property taxes the primary residence of a spouse of a US military member killed in action. While this is a nice feel-good measure to support our military families, not only does it complicate our tax code even further than it already should be, there is a complication within the complication (it would only apply to a home with an assessed value that does not exceed the average assessed value for homes in the locality. The exemption would apply to the dwelling and the land it occupies, not to exceed 1 acre).

I fell Virginia can find better ways to support our military families than by complicating the state tax code even further than it needs to be.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state ... fc4dd.html

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[Kreutz]

I thought I was going to be the sole "no" vote on this for these precise reasons. Expanding tax codes never make life easier.

[trailrunner]

I am planning to vote no on this also. I don't have a problem helping the families of fallen soldiers, but I don't think that something like this should merit a constitutional amendment. Those should be reserved for fundamental rights given to us by our creator.

[mamabearCali]

I agree that it is a kind thing to do.......why should it be a constitutional amendment? It has a weird feel to it. How much does the state take in taxes anyway from most soldiers immediate family......surely there are more effective ways to extend greater support

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[WRW]

Do we do this for other hazardous occupations? If not, is this not a slap in their collective faces?

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[smltooner]

I am planning to vote no on this also. I don't have a problem helping the families of fallen soldiers, but I don't think that something like this should merit a constitutional amendment. Those should be reserved for fundamental rights given to us by our creator.

+1

[OleMan]

I have paid property taxes in Virginia (on my residence) to the city or county in which I resided for a very long time. Those taxes are paid to the local government (city or county) and the enabling laws are state law. So far as I know none of those funds go to the state government.

Seems implicit that this and the similar prior amendment exempting fully disabled veterans (service connected disability) were made amendments to the Constitution to ensure they can only be changed or repealed by direct vote, and not by the legislature.

Widows (or widowers) and young children of military members killed in service usually need and deserve financial help, so I don't resent them being helped by another factor and an additional calculation by the local government Treasurer's staff (they already have the needed property data). I will vote for this amendment. I would also support a similar provision for emergency responders such as law enforcement, fire & rescue, etc.

I am very much in favor of tax simplification at all levels of government - would love to see an Amendment to the US Constitution limiting each level of government to a single form of taxation, but this amendment is not the place to start simplification. Any Tax simplification needs to be comprehensive, have very broad support of the population, and require a direct vote to increase or decrease any taxes.

[ratherfish]

I vote for anything that cuts taxes to anyone.

It's theft.

[SHMIV]

Taxes are not theft. Give unto Caesar, and all that. Taxes are required for government to function properly.

The tax code IS overly complicated. Tax dollars ARE being misappropriated, which, in my opinion DOES count as a form of theft. On account of various misappropriations, stemming from greed, more dollars are desired, and received, from taxpayers.

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[ratherfish]

We are so far over gov't revenues for constitutional activities weather or not the gov't "needs it is moot.

Each American should have to write out a check for each and every tax dollar they have extorted from them.

All I see is NOVA giving the Christiansburg area the best roads known to man. And then NOVA voting in liberals...

Virginia is gone.

Better learn to oppose liberals on every front like they oppose us or it's over.

[ShotgunBlast]

Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone but this amendment passed.

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[FiremanBob]

Whether it's a good cause or not, it is not a proper use of the state constitution. Constitutions are for fundamental issues that protect the rights of all and provide the machinery to control the workings of the state government, not to make special cases for a few people, not matter how sympathetic.

James Madison, representing the 5th District of Virginia in the House of Representatives, said in a debate in 1794, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." The issue was the granting of aid to French refugees from the Haitian revolution. Walter Williams gives several other examples of respecting constitutional limits on government largesse in this article: http://townhall.com/columnists/walterew ... /page/full

Obviously these days, only a small minority of Americans know about or care about the Constitution, or recognize the difference between the social act of charitable relief and the force of government institutionalizing special treatment for some.

[ShotgunBlast]

Even the Lynchburg Republican City Committee endorsed this tax code complication and misuse of state constitutional amendments on sample ballots they were handing out on Tuesday.

[mamabearCali]

I am not sorry it passed. It is not a proper use of the constitution, but since they are monkeying with it at least it will help some people.

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