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Both governor candidates want to end Virginia car tax

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Both governor candidates want to end Virginia car tax


RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -It’s called the single most-hated tax in Virginia.

And now, the two candidates running for governor this fall are on board with chopping the car tax, but it would have hefty financial implications.

Both candidates for Virginia governor can agree on one thing: the state’s “car tax” should be eliminated.

Last week, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears announced her “Axe the Tax” initiative at a campaign event. This initiative includes ending the car tax.

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A spokesperson for Democratic Abigail Spanberger says that she, too, supports ending the tax and plans to work with both Democrats and Republicans to find a way to do so.

“I’m not a fan of the car tax or really any other taxes. We’re overtaxed as it is, so if we can get rid of a few of ‘em, let’s go,” one resident said.

The tax provides significant revenue for cities, towns and counties, which levy and collect it. If lawmakers want to kill it at the state level, they must find a way to reimburse the localities for all that lost revenue.

The state estimates that repealing the car tax in Virginia would cost between $2.5 billion and $3 billion a year.

Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin tried not once, but twice, to repeal the car tax.

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“But we have to be careful who we vote for and be very strategic and actually do background checks on the candidates as well. But I don’t believe getting rid of that and raising the tax prices on people, we’ll do anything,” said another Virginia resident.

But the Virginia General Assembly — mainly state Democrats — said otherwise during budget negotiations.

“Lowering taxes is always popular. Always has been. Always will be, although it causes fiscal problems for a state,” Political Analyst Larry Sabato said.

But political analyst Larry Sabato says that while the car tax has never been abolished in full, it has been chipped away at.

“‘No car tax’ was the winning slogan for Jim Gilmore, and it got him a landslide win in 1997. That should tell you. The appeal of a proposal like this,” Sabato said.

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Most car owners had to shell out big bucks on their annual car tax bill, which was due on June 5.



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Virginia

Vance leasing part of multimillion-dollar Virginia farm as an additional residence | CNN Politics

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Vance leasing part of multimillion-dollar Virginia farm as an additional residence | CNN Politics


Vice President JD Vance is leasing part of a sprawling, multimillion-dollar property in rural Virginia to serve as an additional residence for his family, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

The new rental residence is part of the historic Wolver Hill Farm, which spans nearly 500 acres on the outskirts of Middleburg, Virginia, a wealthy enclave located a little more than an hour drive from Washington, DC.

Wolver Hill Farm is owned by a firm led by Charles Kuhn, the founder of a moving company that has moved several presidents into and out of the White House, including President Donald Trump. The company is also a longtime government contractor.

Kuhn in recent years has become one of the largest landholders in Virginia, as well as a major player in the development of data centers across the state. In one deal last November, Kuhn’s company reportedly sold a nearly 100-acre parcel of land to a data center investor for $615 million.

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Vance is renting part of the Middleburg property from Kuhn’s firm primarily for his wife and three kids, in what the people familiar described as an effort to provide them with a greater sense of normalcy away from the scrutiny of Washington. The vice president is expected to stay there on occasion, though he and his family are maintaining their official residence at the Naval Observatory.

In a statement, Vance’s personal attorney, Chris Ashby, said the vice president planned to pay market value for the property.

“The rent will be at fair market value, determined with reference to the rent for comparable properties in the area,” Ashby said.

Kuhn did not respond to a request for comment. The Washington Business Journal first reported that the vice president was leasing part of Kuhn’s Wolver Hill Farm.

Vance is the latest major political figure to establish a retreat near the small but well-heeled town of Middleburg, which has a population under 1,000 residents. Former President John F. Kennedy once owned an estate in the area, while former President Ronald Reagan once rented a home in the area to serve as a base of operations during his 1980 presidential campaign.

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Rabid cat, bat, raccoons and skunks reported in these 4 Virginia counties

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Rabid cat, bat, raccoons and skunks reported in these 4 Virginia counties


A rabid cat, bat, raccoons and skunks have been confirmed across four Virginia counties, according to the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District.

The rabid animals were found during the first quarter of 2026 in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison and Orange counties.

RELATED | Person exposed to rabid cat in Chantilly

They included one bat and one skunk in Culpeper, three raccoons and one skunk in Fauquier, one skunk in Madison and one cat and one skunk in Orange. Officials said no human exposures have been reported.

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The health district said rabies is commonly found in Virginia wildlife, particularly raccoons, skunks and bats. Statewide, 117 animals tested positive for rabies during the first quarter of the year.

SEE ALSO | Flying bats reported near crowd at Maryland fireworks show, officials warn of health risk

Health officials are urging people to stay away from wild animals and unfamiliar pets, make sure dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccinations and report animals acting strangely to local animal control.



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Virginia cannabis budget language triggers legal confusion, political fallout

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Virginia cannabis budget language triggers legal confusion, political fallout


(VIRGINIA MERCURY) – Virginia’s decision to revive legal cannabis sales through the state budget instead of standalone legislation has triggered several days of confusion over the commonwealth’s marijuana laws, with lawmakers, local prosecutors, Virginia State Police and legislative officials offering differing interpretations of when key provisions take effect.

Much of the confusion focused on two issues: whether Virginia’s long-delayed retail cannabis market had accidentally been moved up by a year and whether existing criminal penalties for marijuana possession and distribution involving people younger than 21 were still enforceable.

For much of the week, the lawmakers who wrote the budget language, along with state officials, sought to settle the matter. They said licensed retail sales will not begin until July 1, 2027, and that Virginia’s current criminal laws remain in effect until then.

Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Jeff Katz also publicly reaffirmed the agency’s enforcement position after questions arose from an internal email circulated earlier this week.

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“VSP acknowledges that there have been rumors and questions pertaining to the agency’s posture on cannabis enforcement,” Katz said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “I would like to make it clear that the Virginia State Police will continue to enforce existing laws, in line with the Code of Virginia.”

Read more on virginiamercury.com

Copyright 2026 Virginia Mercury. All rights reserved.



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