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].

Youngkin Should Make Reliability, Low Cost Top Goals for Coming Clean Economy Act Review

Governor Glenn Youngkin recently flew to Louisiana to join other Republican governors in criticizing President Joe Biden’s energy policy, especially the president’s hostility to hydrocarbon fuels. Youngkin and the rest gathered at an oil refinery to make their point that oil … Continue reading

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Virginia Declares Independence from California EV Mandates

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) and Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) announced today that Virginia will no longer comply with the California air regulations that will restrict and eventually eliminate the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles. The announcement is sure to set … Continue reading

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Youngkin Prevents Two Tax Increases, Will Still Sign Record State Budget

After much political theater, the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) have now compromised on a $188 billion state budget based simply on the revenue projected from current tax law, with neither tax hikes nor tax reductions.  Making those revenue projections … Continue reading

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Youngkin Budget 2.0 Meets Democrat Demands, Except Demand to Raise Taxes

The fight that is about to occur at the Assembly’s reconvened session on Wednesday is entirely about taxes, not about spending. An analysis of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposed compromise budget – done by the Democrats’ favorite financial bean counters, not … Continue reading

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The Sausage Factory Produces a Digital Sales Tax with Little Explanation or Debate

The Virginia General Assembly has now jumped into the brave new world of taxing the digital economy, but the sales tax provisions it adopted in the budget conference report Saturday are not the same ones that appeared in earlier budget versions. The … Continue reading

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