Virginia Remedial Fees were a set of taxes enacted by the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
that collected up to $3,000 for minor
moving violation
A moving violation or traffic violation is any violation of the law committed by the driver of a vehicle while it is in motion. The term "moving" distinguishes it from other motor vehicle violations, such as paperwork violations (which include ...
s such as failing to signal a turn and speeding 10 mph over the limit on a 70 mph road. The taxes were enacted as a way to fund various transportation projects without raising other taxes, and with the side benefit of discouraging abusive driving. However, the taxes were criticized for being excessive and not being levied against out-of-state drivers.
The taxes became the subject of a massive Internet petition-signing effort calling for their repeal. Some legislators across the Commonwealth, aware of the intense opposition, began reversing their positions and opposing the taxes.
On March 8, 2008, the last day of the session, the Assembly repealed the taxes and promised to refund the money that had been collected. At 10:15 p.m., at least ten Republican state senators refused to vote in favor of the legislation, which would have prevented the repeal taking immediate effect (as soon as the
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
signed the bill). However, at 10:25 p.m., it passed 37–3 on a re-vote, a result which allowed for an immediate effective date.
References
External links
Official Website
Virginia law
Transportation in Virginia
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