Chamber Partnership Protects Virginia’s Employers

The Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership, which includes the Loudoun County and Dulles Regional, Greater Reston chambers of commerce, successfully helped convince Virginia’s House and Senate budget committees to defeat the proposed new “administrative surcharge” (or tax) that would have been imposed on all Virginia employers. 

The $1.36 tax/surcharge per employee was proposed to pay for at least half of the Commonwealth’s interest payment due to borrowing funds from the Federal government, and totaled $4.15 million. In the bipartisan action taken this weekend by both the House and Senate money committees, this surcharge was eliminated in the budgets that will be presented to each body later this week. 

“The Partnership appreciates that the members of our money committees acknowledged that Virginia’s ‘job creators,’ our existing businesses, are already paying higher unemployment taxes – at the Federal and State levels,” said Tony Howard, president and CEO of the Loudoun County Chamber.

The Partnership worked actively with other business groups and members of the Northern Virginia delegation - including Loudoun’s members of the House and Senate “money” committees, Sen. Jill Vogel, and Delegate s Joe May and Tag Greason – to defeat this proposed unemployment insurance surcharge.

“We appreciate the support from both sides of the aisle on this important business issue, which would have hit businesses at a time when they are struggling to succeed in today’s challenging business environment,” Howard said.

The Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership represents more than 2,800 businesses and 100,000 jobs, and is focused on enhancing a strong pro-business environment in Northern Virginia, and the Commonwealth as a whole.