RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia lawmakers have rejected a proposal by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam to raise taxes to help improve the Washington-area's struggling public transit system.
House Republicans voted Wednesday against small increases on real estate and hotel taxes in Northern Virginia to fund Metro. The new taxes would have raised about $30 million a year.
Instead, the state will rely more on existing funding for road projects to help cover the state's $150 million a year in new Metro spending.
A 2017 study by former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recommended that Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia provide annual dedicated funding of $500 million for capital costs for the subway system, which has been the frequent target of complaints about poor service and reliability.
