WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Virginia Democrat Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine said the need to find a long-term solution to the state's transportation problems means tax increases are on the table.
It will be "very, very hard," Kaine said in an interview published Tuesday in the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, to address highway and mass-transit needs without considering additional taxes.
Transportation will be "the big thing to tackle" over the next four years, the Democrats' likely 2005 gubernatorial nominee said. Legislators in both parties say the need for new highway projects in rapidly growing parts of the state has strained Virginia's treasury.
Before he could support a tax increase, Kaine said legislators must agree to put highway dollars off-limits so they cannot be diverted to fund other state programs.
"I'm not going to take anything off the table," Kaine said. "But until we lock up the transportation fund, I'm not talking about new revenue."
Kaine's likely Republican opponent in the November election will be former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore. The state's current governor, Democrat Mark Warner, is leaving office because of term limits.
