
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 21, 1994                   TAG: 9412210097
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DELEGATE BUCKS TAX-CUT TREND

Against the clamor of tax-cut advocates from the White House, Congress and Virginia's Capitol, one maverick lawmaker dares to suggest that taxes actually should be increased.

Del. Lacey Putney, an independent from Bedford, said he will ask Gov. George Allen - advocate of a $2.1 billion state tax cut - to support a bill he will introduce next month for a referendum to raise Virginia's sales tax by one-half cent.

Putney, the senior member of the legislature., said the state's got to find money somewhere to build, staff and maintain all the new prisons Allen and the General Assembly have decided to build.

``If the voters of Virginia really want to keep criminals in prison longer - and the evidence is that they do - then I think they would be willing to pay for it,'' he said.

Allen has pledged not to raise taxes, and an administration spokesman said the governor will honor that promise. But Putney argues that the referendum his bill prescribes would let Allen off the hook politically.

``It's consistent with his support of initiative and referendum,'' Putney said.

Putney's bill also contains a sunset provision that would automatically end the sales tax after three years - when Allen leaves office.

by CNB