Stand Firm on Death Tax Repeal

Martinsville Bulletin
Local Editorials
Sunday, March 30, 2003

State Sen. W. Roscoe Reynolds should stop playing politics and vote to override Gov. Mark Warner's veto of the estate tax repeal.

Sen. Reynolds, a Ridgeway Democrat, voted with the Republican majorities in both the Senate and House of Delegates to repeal the tax during the winter session of the General Assembly. But Gov. Warner, also a Democrat, has vetoed the repeal, citing the state budget shortfall and national economic uncertainties as well as the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the state's tax code.

Now, Sen. Reynolds has changed his tune. Like Gov. Warner, he now says the budget shortfall and economic uncertainties are good reasons to keep the tax and uphold the veto at Wednesday's assembly session.

The fallacy of this position is that both the state shortfall and economic uncertainties existed when Sen. Reynolds cast his earlier votes. The country is in its third year of an economic downturn, and Virginia is no different.
The reality is that there never is a good time for a law that forces families to sell their businesses and farmers to lose their land to pay levies on assets that already have been taxed.

Sen. Reynolds needs to put politics aside and look after his constituents the small businesses that are the backbone of the local economy. These people should be encouraged, not discouraged.

This tax is aptly called the death tax. It is time for it to die.
Combining jobs worth considering

Regardless of whether it is motivated by saving money or changing personnel, the Henry County Board of Supervisors and the Public Service Authority should consider every area where they can legally join operations.

The two are separate entities for valid legal, financial and political reasons. But as Reed Creek District Supervisor R.E. "Mike" Seidle Jr. noted at last week's supervisors' meeting, there are areas where both can save money and increase efficiencies.

He has proposed one possible area, merging the PSA's financial matters under the county's central accountant in a contracted arrangement that he estimates could save $100,000. Ridgeway District Supervisor Francis Zehr proposed another possibility, combining the human resources director's job with the public information officer's post. The PSA board must approve both proposals, and has scheduled a meeting Tuesday to consider them.

With the PSA shrinking and the county facing less revenue, the boards of both should seriously consider any move that would cut costs.

Mr. Seidle denies that his suggestion had anything to do with the fact that it could eliminate the jobs of the PSA's comptroller and his assistant, who were among a handful of people cited in the PSA fraud audit as not having detected former PSA general manager and county administrator Sid Clower's $778,000 embezzlement.

Whether that is the case or not, the bottom line is what is best for PSA ratepayers and county taxpayers. That is the standard against which all possible consolidations of operations, jobs and services should be judged.
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