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There was almost universal agreement that the fbur-cent increase would never fly, but there was also general agreement that the bill lent itself to some kind of scaled down tax increase for which it might serve as a vehicle.
Thus, early in the session, with much fanfare, the bill was introduced by Del. Vincent Callahan, R-Fairfax.
It’s introduction was accompanied by an all-out lobbying effort by the governor, the highway department and the various trade associations and construction interests which sup at the highway department trough. Each lawmaker was presented with a list of projects in his or her district which would suffer dire consequences if the money was not forthcoming.
Similar lists reportedly found their way to local governing bodies in the lawmakers home districts. The pressure was on full blast.
At about the same time, a second bill was quietly dropped in the hopper. This one was introduced by Del. Martin Perper, R-Fairfax, and was accompanied by no fanfare whatever. It generally embodied the principles of Dalton’s four per cent sales tax on the wholesale price of gasoline. It was introduced and disappeared.
During the ensuing weeks, debate on the Callahan bill raged. By the time the measure came up for a Finance Committee vote Monday, opponenets had a slim but solid majority favoring reducing the fourpenny provision to two pennies. Committee Chairman Archibald Campbell, D^Wytheville, seemed reluctantly willing to go along with the smaller amount although he really
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