Washington, D.C. – In a statement today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) urged Virginia state legislators to pass Governor Jim Gilmore’s Car Tax Abolition Plan.  Gilmore’s plan, which was the pivotal theme of his gubernatorial campaign, would gradually lower personal tax liability on automobiles over a four-year period.  In the fifth year, the tax would be completely phased out for all vehicles worth $20,000 or less.

“The Gilmore Car Tax Abolition Plan would permit Virginians to keep more of their hard-earned money,” remarked CCAGW President Thomas A. Schatz. 

The Virginia state Senate recently passed version of the Gilmore plan which calls for tax relief for vehicles worth up to at most $15,000.  Gilmore’s plan, which failed to pass out of committee in the House of Delegates, called for tax relief for vehicles worth up to at most $20,000.  Rules in Virginia’s House of Delegates allow for a bill to “cross over” into the other chamber for consideration. 

“The Virginia car tax is an obsolete holdover from a bygone era and taxpayers voted overwhelmingly to eliminate it when they elected Governor Gilmore last fall,” said Schatz.  “Virginia’s economy is strong.  Tax relief of this kind will spur that growth further by pumping this money back into the economy.  We urge the House of Delegates to pass the Governor’s plan and give the taxpayers of Virginia the break they deserve.”

CCAGW is a nonprofit, nonpartisan lobbying group dedicated to helping enact legislation to cut waste, fraud, and mismanagement.