CHATHAM, Va. -- Even as President Bush and his national Republican Party boast of record tax cuts and vow to hold the line against future tax increases, Republicans here and elsewhere are undercutting the election-year message: They are for raising taxes.
Worried about declines in schools and basic services, many Republican leaders in the states say they have little choice. Not enjoying the luxury the federal government has of running deficits, they are less worried about the national party's antitax dogma than getting through the year.
The upshot is that taxes are creating a new divide between Republicans at the national level and those in the states, one that transcends the more familiar ideological rift between ascendant antitaxers and traditional budget-balancers. The federal-state split is particularly awkward given that the party controls both the White House and Congress and, at the same time, more statehouses than ever before.
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Virginia is only the latest state in the past three years in which Republican-led state legislatures, Republican governors or both, amid much intraparty battling, have backed big tax and fee increases. The motivation is both to fill budget gaps left by the national economic downturn and the states' outdated tax codes, and the need to meet growing education, health and infrastructure costs. Besides Alaska and Alabama, others include Nevada, Idaho, Ohio, Connecticut and Nebraska.
Yet events in pro-Republican Virginia -- visible from the White House and home to Bush administration and national party officials -- are the talk of party members in Washington, riling them this election season as no state has before.
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Write to Jackie Calmes at jackie.calmes@wsj.com
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