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Candidates
Guarded On Senior Tax Break By R.H. Melton, The Washington Post September 11 Northern Virginia legislative candidates promised elderly voters yesterday that they would protect the state income tax deduction for senior citizens who now receive it, but some warned that budget pressures may force them to make wealthy retirees ineligible for the tax break in the future. Incumbents and challengers from both major political parties told members of the Springfield chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees that the $12,000 annual tax break for persons 65 and older was largely untouchable in the General Assembly's upcoming debate over restructuring Virginia's tax system. "In 1994, we made a commitment to you all, and I think we need to keep that promise to our seniors," said state Del. Thomas M. Bolvin (R-Fairfax), voicing a view shared by the four other Republicans and six Democrats who addressed 100 people at the NARFE forum. The bipartisan unanimity on leaving the tax break unscathed -- at least for those who now enjoy it -- was a sign of the political reality facing candidates in the Nov. 4 assembly elections, especially those in the Washington suburbs that are home to many well-organized federal government and military retirees and their families. Virginians ages 62 to 64 may claim an annual deduction of $6,000. "It's on the books, and they'd be in a really bad position if they repealed it," said Frank G. Atwater of Alexandria, a past national president of NARFE. Added Diane M. Hill of Springfield, a retired Pentagon secretary who turned 70 yesterday: "They were all -- very much to my surprise -- behind the seniors." But the early agreement on safeguarding the "senior subtraction," which state government funds at a yearly cost of $300 million, also underscored the complex political and policy choices inherent in revamping a tax code that Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) and some Republican leaders contend is riddled with special breaks. Warner has said he will unveil his tax restructuring proposals after the Nov. 4 elections. Meanwhile, a legislative tax commission is proceeding with its own review and is scheduled to issue its recommendations in time for the 2004 legislative session. In a state government that has already coped with a $6 billion budget shortfall and faces another of $1 billion, many Democrats and Republicans have said that all aspects of state taxation ought to be debated to ensure that state revenue is stable for years to come. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
