Well, that didn’t take long. Nearly every news story last year about Abigail Spanberger, who was just sworn in to office a few days ago as Governor of Virginia, described her as “a moderate Democrat.” But now in office, she and the Democrats who now control all the rungs of power in Richmond are already off to the races with a flurry of tax increases. It’s hard to find a tax the Democrats DON’T want to raise.

Our friends at Americans for Tax Reform have been keeping tabs.

• • • HB 188 – Creates a new income tax bracket for income above $1 million, raising the state’s top personal income tax rate from 5.75% to 10%.
    • HB 378 – Imposes a 3.8% net investment income tax on individuals, trusts, and estates beginning in taxable year 2027. If enacted, HB 378 would raise VA’s top marginal income tax rate on portfolio and passive income to 9.55%.
    • HB 900 – A new sales tax on Internet services – Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx, UPS, and others.
    • HB 919 – A 11% gross receipt tax on guns and ammunition.
    • HB 978 – Extend the retail sales and use tax to dry cleaning, landscaping, and other previously exempt services.

Spanberger has already announced Virginia will rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional cap and trade scheme that acts as a backdoor carbon dioxide tax.

Virtually every other southern state is cutting taxes. Virginia is looking to enact its largest tax increase ever. Did we mention that Spanberger ran as a centrist, pro-business Democrat?