Author Archives: Stephen D. Haner

About Stephen D. Haner

Stephen D. Haner is Senior Fellow for State and Local Tax Policy at the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. He may be reached at [email protected].

Could Vineyard Wind Challenge Impact Dominion’s Virginia Project?

A group of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts residents have filed suit challenging the pre-construction environmental review on a massive offshore wind complex planned off its shores.  The issues raised may have a direct impact on the similar wind energy project planned off Virginia Beach Continue reading

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New Electricity Tax is Leading Edge of Rising Energy Costs

Next month, Dominion Energy Virginia customers will begin paying Virginia’s first direct carbon tax on their bills. The amount they pay to buy carbon dioxide allowances from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will not be listed on the bill separately … Continue reading

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Ready to Spend $26,000 to Eliminate Your Gas Appliances?

Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon the War on Fossil Fuels will be fought in the equipment room or garage of your house. A push to prohibit new natural gas connections and remove existing home gas services is inevitable … Continue reading

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Virginia Should Not Tax Income If Washington Doesn’t

In 1972, a Virginia taxpayer needed a taxable income of $12,000 before the state’s maximum income tax rate kicked in.  Adjusted for inflation, that threshold should be $78,000 today. There has been one adjustment since, to $17,000 in income before … Continue reading

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Digging Beyond the #1 Ranking

Virginia ranks #1 in the  “Top States for Business 2021” ranking produced by the business network CNBC, but it is important to dig into the ten measurement categories. Continue reading

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