The Virginia gubernatorial race continues to heat up, and there have been several proposals discussed that would impact small business owners. Here’s a look at a few of them.
E-Verify
One Republican candidate, Corey Stewart, is focused on immigration enforcement in his platform. He has proposed a new requirement that all state businesses use E-Verify, a federal database that is used to check immigration status when employees are hired. NFIB/VA has concerns about this idea, however.
State Director Nicole Riley told The Virginia Gazette, “We are concerned about the mandated use of a program such as E-Verify, which is known to be riddled with errors. What safeguards would be in place for employers for good faith efforts, and how much more of a burden would this place on small businesses?”
Gas Tax
Meanwhile, State. Sen. Frank Wagner is focused on infrastructure and has proposed an increase in the regional gas tax in order to increase revenue for transportation project funding without tolls.
Income Tax Cuts
Ed Gillespie’s “Cutting Taxes for ALL Virginians” Plan would reduce individual income tax rates by 10 percent across the board over a three-year phase-in period. His plan also proposes to sunset the Business, Professional, and Occupational License, Machine and Tool, and Merchant’s Capital taxes over three years, giving local governments the choice of reenacting them or selecting an alternative revenue stream from a list of options that would be developed collaboratively.
Stewart countered with mention of eliminating special interest tax preferences, cutting wasteful spending, and completely phasing out the state income tax over time, but did not yet have specific details. Wagner didn’t have specifics yet, either, but said that his plans would be rooted in reality.
Minimum Wage
Democratic candidates Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello have both called for a $15 statewide minimum wage.
