The Virginian-Pilot 
                            THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, January 10, 1995              TAG: 9501100010
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL  
TYPE: Letter
                                             LENGTH: Short :   50 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** Raymond R. Cross of Portsmouth, whose letter protesting Virginia's failure to reimburse federal retirees for state taxes illegally paid from 1985 through 1988 drew a reply from Anne Smith of Norfolk (``Don't pay federal retirees,'' Jan. 10) says that Ms. Smith wrongly stated that he was a military retiree. He says he is a civil-service retiree and has paid ``my income taxes, personal-property taxes, real-estate taxes and everything else required of a Virginia citizen since 1942.'' Correction published in The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star on Saturday, January 14, 1995 on page A10. ***************************************************************** DON'T PAY FEDERAL RETIREES

In response to Raymond Cross' letter (``Payback is not fair,'' Dec. 27), I don't believe we should pay federal retirees a dime! While Mr. Cross was in the service, he was provided with free health care and tax-free dependents allowances. Additionally, if he lived in Virginia while in the service, he probably never paid a dime in personal-property tax on any vehicles, boats, etc., he owned because of the loophole Virginia has in allowing active-duty military to claim another state as their home of residence to avoid the tax, and the fee for the decal, that all civilians must pay.

Mr. Cross states he has to pay for health insurance. As a military retiree, he has free health care. If it doesn't satisfy him, he should pay for additional coverage. A civilian has the same choice: You pay for the coverage you desire. Perhaps Mr. Cross and other military retirees should look at the benefits they reaped in the service, and back off. If we went back and reviewed the tax records of many of them, the so-called home of residence they claimed because those states didn't have state tax, or tax them on their dependents' allowances, they'd owe us money.

If they don't like it here, and don't wish to support their state by not getting us into debt, there are several states which have no state tax at all. I suggest they go there, but I doubt the economy, schools and quality of living are what we have here and are proud to have accomplished in Virginia.

ANNE SMITH

Norfolk, Dec. 28, 1994 by CNB