Puller, Frederick Debate Taxes

Editors’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on a candidates’ forum held Wednesday in Lake Ridge.

Lake Ridge, Va. –Taxes and transportation dominated the conversation between two candidates running to represent the Potomac Communities in the Virginia Senate.

Democratic incumbent Toddy Puller (D-36, Mount Vernon, Woodbridge, North Stafford) and Jeff Frederick debated face to face Wednesday night, both sharing their disdain for the state Business and Professional Licensing tax – a tax on businesses gross receipts before profit.

“What I am about to say is not a joke, but the BPOL tax was established to fund The War of 1812. I thought that war was over long ago but businesses still pay the tax. If we are able to get rid of the tax it is one way to attract business to Virginia and grow the economy,” said Frederick.

While Stafford County has abolished their BPOL tax, the tax remains in Prince William and Fairfax counties. Puller said previous attempts to abolish the tax at a statewide level have failed because the state tired to pay back local governments the money lost after the tax was no longer collected.

“I don’t know of anyone who likes the BPOL tax. We reformed it in Fairfax County so you don’t hear much about it anymore, but when George Allen was elected governor, one of the things that the state was going to do was to pay back the localities the money they were losing and that didn’t go far. The BPOL tax is still a local tax and we’ve tried giving state money back to localities,” said Puller.

More local authority over how transportation dollars are spent was also a hot topic during the debate.

Puller supports funding transportation projects from the state’s dedicated transportation fund with monies collected from the state’s 17 and a half cent gas tax, while Frederick would rather change the gas tax rate to a percentage of the fuel cost. He also supports funding transportation improvements from the state’s general fund, and says during his time in the Virginia House of Delegates tried to pass a transportation funding reform only to have it fail in the Senate.

Puller, who has served in state government since 1994, says bill must have support of both the State Senate and House in order to pass.

“Jeff talks about the bills they pass in the house out of the house of delegates that come into the senate, that’s the way legislation works in a two house legislation, you have to get the support of the other house, and I’ve managed to do that time and time again and I’m not about to hang it up after 20 [years], I’m just getting really good about what I’m doing,” said Puller.

Frederick served three terms in the House of Delegates and also led the Republican Party of Virginia.