THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240290
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Election '95
YOU ASKED...
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Curt Bracken knows what he wants from his elected officials. He wants his money back!
Well, perhaps not in the way you're thinking. Bracken literally wants thousands of dollars in back taxes he overpaid, and the General Assembly has the power to give it to him. How's that for an incentive to get interested in politics?
The background:
Bracken, who spent 20 years in the Navy as a hospital corpsman, is one of about 168,000 military and federal retirees whom the state overtaxed in the 1980s.
The state has been wrestling withthis for several years. It settled part of the issue this year by paying 75 cents on the dollar to about 154,000 of those affected.
But Bracken, who has a second career as a buyer for Raytheon, is one of those who didn't take the offer. He held out for the full amount, including the interest that is accumulating.
``I figured, I don't have anything now, and if I lose and don't get anything at all, I won't know the difference,'' he said.
His gamble paid off. In September the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state must repay the entire amount to the remaining retirees. The state appears to have decided it has no grounds for an appeal. Some legal debate continues over attorneys' fees. The only question for the state is, where is the money coming from?
It will cost the state about $78 million, and the figure is rising every month. In the tight budgets of the past few years, that makes it a hot potato.
The question:
Bracken's question for the candidates in his part of Norfolk is, ``How should Virginia resolve the pay-back of the remaining taxes owed to federal and military retirees?''
Bracken's candidates are: in the 5th Senate district, Sen. Yvonne Miller, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Bruce Wilcox; and in the 89th House district, Del. Jerrauld Jones, a Democrat who is running unopposed.
The answers:
Miller: ``The 1996 session of the Generaly Assembly along with the governor must budget the money to pay back the retirees. I am sure we will look at the budget and determine a way to pay the money back as expeditiously as possible. Since we owe the money and are legally responsible for paying it back, then we will.''
Wilcox: ``From what I've been able to find out, the case isn't finalized yet. There is still the question of the attorneys' fees. My understanding is that Virginia may not have the option of stretching out the payments or anything. My feeling is that Virginia ought to go ahead and pay it all at once, since the interest is running. There has been some talk of a $65 million surplus. If that's true, that might take care of the bulk of it.''
Jones: ``I don't know. We obviously have a legal obligation now to pay all the money back. I think we're going to have to get up there in the budget session in January, and we're going to to have to make some decisions on priorities. I don't have any solutions yet. I know where I don't want the money to come from. I don't want to see us take any money away from programs to help families and young people, programs to combat juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime. I respect and support the claims of the retirees completely.'' MEMO: Staff writer Tony Wharton compiled this column.
``You Asked'' is a regular feature of The Virginian-Pilot's coverage
of the 1995 General Assembly elections. Readers can send in questions to
be asked of the candidates in their districts.
Previous You Asked... stories, plus more election coverage are available
on Pilot Online's Virginia Voter Net at:
http://www.infi.net/pilot/voter/
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