The Issues

Economic Freedom

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...

Stephen D. Haner
April 15, 2024

Veto the Budget, Governor!

In the end, it wasn’t about stopping Glenn Youngkin’s tax cuts. It was about finding a way to raise taxes. When Governor Youngkin proposed needed reforms of Virginia’s antiquated tax system...

Christian Braunlich
March 22, 2024

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...

Stephen D. Haner
March 11, 2024

Killing the Digital Goose for its Golden Egg

The last time the General Assembly made a similar mistake with the Virginia tax code was 20 years ago. It was 2004, and the complaints that business was not “paying its...

Stephen D. Haner
March 4, 2024

Bait and Switch: Reform Reverts to Mo’ Money

Some years back, I ran into a friend, a Virginia Education Association unit chair, outside the General Assembly building, there to lobby on behalf of a state-wide teacher salary increase....

Christian Braunlich
March 2, 2024

Progressive Democrats Suddenly Fine With Regressive Sales, Payroll Taxes

A piece of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s tax package has survived after all, but only the part that increases the sales tax base to collect about $1 billion or so...

Stephen D. Haner
February 20, 2024

Minimum Wages, Paid Leave, Vendor Preferences Lead Surviving 2024 Progressive Agenda Items

The aggressive progressive agenda working its way through the 2024 General Assembly has lost some steam at the halfway point, but at least four of the major Democratic goals discussed...

Stephen D. Haner
February 15, 2024

Virginia’s Tax Code: An Analog System in a Digital World

To many, testifying before a government  committee conjures visions of the drama surrounding the McCarthy, Watergate, or Zuckerberg hearings. In Virginia, not so much. Faced with processing more than 2,600 bills in 60 days,...

Christian Braunlich
February 12, 2024

Two Big Tax Hikes Still Alive at Assembly, But Governor’s Tax Cut Package Has Failed

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s package of proposed tax changes is now stalled in both the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates. A House subcommittee spiked it Feb. 5 and then dashed...

Stephen D. Haner
February 7, 2024

Jefferson Forum concentrates on policies that affect everyday life in Virginia

Economic Freedom

Lower taxes and fewer regulations

Education Freedom

More choices for Virginia families

Energy Freedom

Reliable, affordable energy

Worker Freedom

Protecting Virginia’s right-to-work tradition

These are the building blocks of a more competitive and prosperous Virginia.