In the Comonwealth of Virginia, the issue of transportation funding has always been a very tough nut to crack. Traffic in the D.C.-Metropolitan area is notoriously bad, and so residents of Northern Virginia are always seeking some sort of relief from torturous commutes. But regional divisions between Virginians in the D.C. area and those who reside in the rest of the state tend to dominate the discussion in Richmond, and residents outside NoVA fairly consistently inveigh against being taxed to solve a problem far away from where they live. So the fact that the lawmakers in Virginia's State Senate and House of Delegates have arrived at some sort of accord on how to fund transportation is big news. But not everyone is going to like what they've agreed to do.
Jim Nolan at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has the essential details. The basic gist is that the negotiators have arrived at a plan that would raise about $880 million, through a mix of sales tax increases, accounting adjustments and fees. But two key details stick out. First, the package would swap out Virginia's current 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax "with a 3.5 percent wholesale tax paid by distributors and a 6 percent wholesale tax on diesel fuel." Second, the state would impose an annual fee of $100 on owners of hybrid vehicles.
And owners of hybrids aren't too happy about the decision. Back on Jan. 31, hybrid owners turned out in force, encircling the Virginia Capitol building in protest of possible fees:
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