On the ballot for Tuesday's midterm elections are three initiatives that would change the state's tax and budgeting policies.
For two consecutive years, the proposed constitutional amendments have received bipartisan and nearly unanimous approval when put to a vote before the General Assembly. Amendments must be approved twice before facing voters statewide.
The first initiative proposes giving localities the power to make their own decisions about property tax relief for elderly and disabled residents. State Sen. George Baker, D-Clifton, who sponsored the measure, said it would allow localities to meet the needs of their citizens better.
"What I have found is that there are a number of elderly people in their 80s and 90s who have helped build their communities but are not able to enjoy retirement," Barker said, adding that many elderly people do not currently qualify for tax relief because of the size of their assets and that this amendment would help them to receive some benefits.
The second initiative, sponsored by state Sen. Linda "Toddy" Puller, D-Mount Vernon, would provide a property tax exemption for veterans with 100 percent service-related disabilities.
Puller, who said she was asked to introduce the amendment by the Department of Veterans Services, stressed two main benefits of the proposal.
"It would send a very strong message [to veterans] that their service is greatly appreciated in Virginia," she said. "Also, this might save them a little bit of money, maybe even enough to buy a home."
Maryland - where Puller and her late husband, a former injured veteran, almost moved to - is one of many states that already allow qualified injured veterans to be exempt from property taxes.\n"Forty-five states give some kind of property tax relief to veterans," Puller said. Virginia, as a state with a significant military presence and more than 7,000 veterans who have 100 percent service-related disabilities, should also provide a property tax exemption, she said.
Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Henrico, expressed his support for the initiative but also stated some concerns.
"With respect to giving those veterans a benefit in their taxes, I'm concerned about the number of entities or organizations that might request similar benefits," Morrissey said. "It's hard to argue against tax benefits for a veteran who has a 100 percent permanent and total disability. Similarly, it is hard to argue that a first responder also with injuries should not have the same benefits of exemption. We need to be prepared for that."
Ballot Question No. 3 proposes increasing the cap on the state's Revenue Stabilization Fund
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