DATE: Wednesday, October 1, 1997            TAG: 9710010418

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL  

TYPE: At Issue: Spending Priorities
SERIES: Focus: Election '97

SOURCE: BY TONI GUAGENTI, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   91 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** Stan Thomason works in Norfolk but lives in Virginia Beach. A headline in the Election '97 coverage Wednesday erroneously referred to him as a Norfolk man. Correction published Thursday, October 2, 1997 on page A2 of THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT. ***************************************************************** NORFOLK MAN WANTS THE GOVERNMENT TO "GET BACK TO BASICS"

Stan Thomason works hard for his family.

He puts in an average of 50 hours a week on the line at Ford Motor Co. in Norfolk, while his wife, Tammy, works about 60 hours as a Wendy's manager.

They're trying to make sure their children - Ericka, 6, and Christian, 2 - have what they need and more, Thomason recently said at his Virginia Beach home.

Thomason grows leery when he hears that the personal property tax has become a political hot potato during this election.

Because of his work ethic, he knows you can't get something for nothing.

``People are going to say just what they want to say to get your vote,'' Thomason said.

Then, after the politicians are elected, they get bombarded by special-interest groups and forget about the promises they made, he said.

Intentions are well and good, he said, but, the politicians are just going to add the tax on to something else.

The politicians aren't going to give the government ``a cut like that,'' Thomason, 40, said.

``They're going to take it out somewhere down the line.''

Thomason, a former Navy man for 15 years, said if taxes have to go up on other items, the money generated should go into areas that are close to his heart. They would be improving dilapidated communities, assisting in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, helping unwed mothers, and educating adults who go back to school, or keeping at-risk teen-agers in high school.

Thomason said he chose those areas because they're the basis of a good community.

His concerns for the community reflect on the importance of family in his life, at least the time he has to spend with them when he's not working, Thomason said.

That's why he doesn't mind working a little bit harder to pay the personal property tax on the family's 1997 Ford F-150 truck and 1996 Ford Explorer.

Having newer cars is important to him after his wife's car broke down on the interstate when she was pregnant with Ericka, Thomason said.

He said the government seems to be straying from what's really important to people.

``That's the problem with the world. We're losing our common sense,'' he said. ``We've got to get back to basics.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

D. Kevin Elliott

Stan Thomason...

Graphic with photos of candidates

CANDIDATES RESPOND

If the personal property tax is cut, I figure the government will

tax me in some other way. What assurances can you give me that that

won't happen? Be specific.

Donald S. Beyer Jr.: Great question about something I wanted to

avoid in designing my tax relief plan. Helping people who really

need it - those who earn less than $40,000 and families who bring in

up to $75,000 - provides relief where it counts but won't break the

bank, allowing localities and the state to continue providing all

the services you need. Because my plan works with a state tax

credit, local taxes won't be affected. State taxes won't be affected

because the plan costs just a fraction of what the state will take

in over the next few years.

James S. Gilmore III: I will eliminate the personal property tax on

cars and trucks valued under $20,000. This means that 90 percent of

automobiles in Virginia will be exempt from taxation.

I am committed to giving this tax relief to Virginians. They deserve

it. As governor, I will not raise any taxes.

Furthermore, localities won't need to raise taxes because the state

will reimburse them on a dollar-for-dollar basis for revenue they

would have collected from individuals. Elimination of the personal

property tax is a boon both to the local governments and to the

taxpayers of Virginia.

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