Responding to grassroots backlash, a bipartisan House majority joins the Senate in voting to repeal the arbitrary $64 tax on fuel-efficient vehicles

RICHMOND— On Thursday, the Virginia House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly for legislation (HB 975) to repeal the hybrid car tax. The bipartisan 89-9 vote follows a 35-3 vote in the Senate earlier this week, all but ensuring that the repeal legislation will become law as Governor McAuliffe has committed to signing it.

The General Assembly’s swift action to repeal the reviled $64 hybrid fee in 2014 reflects the fierce grassroots backlash that met its passage in 2013. Hybrid car owners paraded around the capitol in Richmond last February to urge its removal from Governor McDonnell’s transportation package. A veto campaign led by Senator Adam Ebbin and Delegate Scott Surovell garnered the support of more than 7,500 Virginians. Pundits from both sides of the aisle attacked the fee as both illogical policy and an unfair attack on Virginians trying to do their part for cleaner air and a stable climate.
The following are statements in response to today’s passage of hybrid tax repeal through the General Assembly:
Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30): “Hybrid owners already pay gasoline taxes. Because the fuel economy of hybrids and non-hybrids alike varies so widely, this tax is especially illogical. I am pleased that both the Senate and House passed this legislation with strong bipartisan support.”
Delegate Scott Surovell (D-44): “I am pleased that the legislature has honored the wishes of the 7,500 Virginians who signed my petition with Senator Ebbin demanding repeal of the hybrid tax. It was bad policy from the beginning and Virginians have spoken.”
Dawone Robinson, Virginia Policy Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network: “Today’s vote is a major victory not only for hybrid owners, but for all Virginians who want to see our state move forward in addressing climate change. It made absolutely no sense to punish people trying to do their part to conserve gasoline. The General Assembly made the right move in repealing the punishing hybrid tax, and it should further reward solutions to climate change in 2014 by passing bills aimed at removing inconsistent taxes on solar power equipment and strengthening our state’s broken renewable energy goals.”
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