More on the NVTA Refunds of Taxes and Fees

Yesterday, Governor Timothy M. Kaine signed House Bill 1578 which establishes procedures to return taxes and fees collected by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the imposition of regional taxes and fees by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority was unconstitutional.

This bill creates an open, public process for the return of taxes and fees paid by individuals to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority” Governor Kaine said.

More on the refund process can also be found online in this NVTA news release (PDF).

Meanwhile, today's Washington Post reports that the group seeking competitive bidding for construction of the planned Metro extension to Dulles International Airport has withdrawn a federal lawsuit seeking to block the project.

TysonsTunnel.org, a coalition of McLean area businesses and residents, said today that the urgency of court action has been lessened by the Federal Transit Administration's announcement in January that it could not fund the $5 billion, 23-mile extension unless the contractor and state officials make fundamental changes.

"It seems like FTA has made the case back to Virginia that there are a number of concerns that need to be addressed," said Scott Monett, the group's president. "And we believe many of our concerns are addressed in what was mentioned."

The Post also reports that state and federal officials are continuing to negotiate the future of the project. FTA spokesman Wes Irvin said yesterday that the airports authority and the Virginia Department of Transportation have submitted significant amounts of new information to the agency to salvage the $900 million grant.

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