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Glenn Youngkin Fights for Taxpayers Once Again

AP Photo/Steve Helber

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Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is a rising star among the nation’s governors, and his latest fight proves his commitment to making Virginia an affordable place to live.

For starters, the governor unveiled his proposal to cut both corporate and income taxes in the state’s budget for 2023 and 2024, which would total out to $1 billion in tax cuts, the Associated Press reported. Youngkin wants the top income bracket tax lowered from 5.75 percent to 5.5 percent, and to cut the corporate tax rate down from 6 percent to 5 percent, according to the outlet. Hopefully, the Virginia General Assembly will make it happen.

These tax cuts are no small deal, especially in the recently blue state of Virginia. Youngkin understands that economic times are tough, and the outlook might not be positive for a while. If the federal government is not going to rein in its spending, then state governments have a responsibility to take the tax burden off families, individuals, and businesses to better handle inflation.

Youngkin campaigned on cuts as well on the campaign trail, and he’s already seen some successful delivery. Namely, the grocery tax will go down from 2.5 percent to 1 percent starting next year, which is sure to save people money where it matters. While some of us might not be watching our wallet as closely to notice the difference between 2.5 percent and 1 percent, you can bet that there are people where that extra money could make a huge impact on their lives, especially if they have a large family on a budget.

When asked about possibly scrapping the annual vehicle property tax as well by ABC 7 on Thursday, Youngkin did not hesitate to push local governments to make reforms.

“As much as I would like to, it is a local tax,” he said, according to the outlet.

“And so the counties need to go reflect on the fact that the number one complaint that we get is the car tax, and yet the counties continue to charge it. I think it’s a matter of tax reassessment on behalf of so many counties around the Commonwealth to see what they are doing in order to tax their citizens as well. Taxes are a stack of local taxes, state taxes and federal taxes. The state taxes have overwhelmed companies and individuals [and] I can fix that and I think local government needs to get to work on their own tax structures.”

The simple fact of the matter is that now is the time for governments to get creative in how they can do more with less revenue, or just do less, period. Virginians who are already struggling, or even one’s who are not, do not need to pay another tax when they already have the government in their wallet everywhere else.

Youngkin should continue to put pressure on counties to get rid of unnecessary taxes, whether it’s for vehicles or otherwise. If a county or city is getting its revenue from an unusual source of taxation, that’s a serious problem that needs to be solved. Tax revenue should be generated in a way that does not inconvenience people, and is as low as possible.

As American families are being forced to “cut the fat” in their own budgets, governments should find a way to do the same. At the very least, Democratic governors around the country should take note of how their fiscally conservative colleagues are delivering tax breaks for hard-working people.

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