Virginia Democrats have introduced legislation that would significantly raise income and investment taxes, putting the Commonwealth on track to become the highest-taxed state in the nation. These proposals, which include new top tax brackets and higher levies on investment income, would push Virginia’s effective income tax rate above California’s.
Democrats introduced the legislation shortly after consolidating power in Richmond, creating higher income tax brackets and expanding taxes on capital gains and other investment income. If lawmakers enact the bills, the changes would raise Virginia’s top effective income tax rate to roughly 13.8%, surpassing all other states.
Lawmakers backing the measures argue the tax hikes are necessary to fund public priorities and stabilize state finances. Virginia Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-VA) said the proposals would require “millionaires [to] pay their fair share of taxes,” arguing the revenue would help “buffer” Virginians from broader economic pressures. Left-wing policy group The Commonwealth Institute, one of the many groups behind this proposed plan, said a “Fair Share tax” could raise more than $1 billion annually for education, housing, and other public services.
Democrats have positioned the tax proposals as part of a broader affordability agenda. Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) has said her administration will prioritize lowering health care, housing, and energy costs. She campaigned on what she called an agenda to build a more “Affordable Virginia.”
Throughout her campaign, Spanberger emphasized cost relief as a central theme. Her campaign promised that an “Affordable Virginia Plan will lower costs, save Virginians money, and make it easier for people who work hard to get ahead.” She later pledged that her administration would “lower health care, energy, and housing costs in 2026.”
But critics argue the tax increases directly undermine those affordability promises.
Virginia Republicans remain skeptical of these promises, with State House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore (R-VA) pointing to the tax proposals as the leading edge of what he calls a slate of “bad bills.” The Republican Party of Virginia released an official statement saying, “Spanberger’s economic agenda would take Virginia down the same failed path as California and New York.”
The criticism quickly extended beyond Richmond. Conservative policy groups and Republican-aligned organizations warned the proposals would put Virginia at a competitive disadvantage nationally. “It’s always a bad time to raise taxes, but it would be particularly foolish for Governor Spanberger and the Democrats who now control Richmond to do so at this time of heightened state tax competition,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
Other conservative groups echoed that warning. The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a major fundraising organization aligned with House Republicans, said the proposed tax increases would raise costs statewide, discourage investment, and drive jobs and capital out of Virginia. “It’s about to get very, very expensive to live, work, and raise a family in Virginia,” the organization said.
The CLF also accused Democrats of moving quickly to raise taxes after campaigning on affordability, noting that “within 48 hours of taking power in Richmond, Virginia Democrats have introduced legislation creating new sales and retail taxes.” The group added that “Democrats campaign on affordability, but the minute they’re given power they rob hardworking families of their paycheck in the form of higher and new taxes.”
Although lawmakers have not officially adopted the plan, Democrats’ 64-36 control of the House of Delegates and 21-19 majority in the Senate make passage likely.
Still, as Democrats defend the tax hikes as a “fair share” contribution to fund affordability initiatives, the measures risk turning Virginia into a tax-hiking outlier and a liability for Democrats in the 2026 midterms, as voters increasingly see higher taxes as the party’s solution to affordability concerns.
