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].

Sixteen Tax Hike Bills Approved by the General Assembly

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

What did this year’s General Assembly cost you in taxes? Here are at least 16 bills approved by the 2020 General Assembly which create or raise taxes on Virginians or authorize a local government to do so. No one told … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxes | 2 Comments

Attorney General Ramps Up To Hunt for Corporate Bias

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

One intrusive employment law change opposed by business groups was finally watered down in the late stages of the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, but others are passing and will be actively enforced by a phalanx of new state investigators and … Continue reading →

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The Virginia Clean Energy Act: What It Does and What It Will Cost You

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

Responding to a perceived climate emergency, the new Democratic majority in the Virginia General Assembly is seeking to transform the Commonwealth into a wind and solar energy Wonderland. It is passing legislation to mandate construction of solar and wind, mandate … Continue reading →

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Will General Assembly Decide on Carbon Car Tax?

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

Thanks to the persistence of Delegate Charles Poindexter, two members of Governor Ralph Northam’s cabinet are now on record stating the General Assembly will decide whether Virginia joins the carbon tax regime called the Transportation and Climate Initiative.  In 2018 both … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Environment, Taxes | 2 Comments

Never Too Late for Serious Tax Reform

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

The new chair of the House Finance Committee has introduced a major long-term tax reform proposal that will help most Virginia families, and the former chair of the same committee has offered a significant improvement to it. Both are good … Continue reading →

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