Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger would not rule out supporting multiple new taxes, including on gym memberships, streaming services, and dry cleaning.
The Democrat, who won comfortably last November on a message focused on affordability, said the tax bills proposed in the state legislature are worth considering to add to state revenue streams.
“I think there are worthy conversations to be had about what revenue generation looks like in the future as our economy changes in so many ways,” Spanberger told a local ABC affiliate.
A lot has been made of taxes proposed by Democrats that never passed the General Assembly, including a bill to tax streaming services and more.
Republicans, including President Trump, have attacked Governor Abigail Spanberger over that bill and others.
Spanberger has pushed… pic.twitter.com/KBWUnIy66W
— Tyler Englander (@TylerEnglander) April 29, 2026
Earlier this year, Virginia Democrats introduced bills to expand state sales tax coverage to various services, including gym memberships, storage facility use, pet care, counseling, vehicle and home repair, digital subscriptions, and more.
- Gym membership
- Storage facility use
- Dog walking
- Dog grooming
- Counseling
- Vehicle repair
- Home repair
- Dry cleaning
- Cosmetic services
- Software application services
- Computer-related services
- Website hosting and design
- Data storage, and
- Digital subscription services
Democratic lawmakers have also introduced bills that would tax gun and ammunition sales, along with levies on delivery drivers for services like DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The bills never came up for a vote and have since stalled in the state’s General Assembly, according to the governor’s office. Spanberger, however, appeared to sympathize with the intention of the proposed taxes.
“But I also want to recognize that many of the patrons who brought forth different ideas about how to bring out revenue that’s necessary, I think every idea, as long as it’s reasonable and makes some amount of sense, should be entertained and should be discussed,” Spanberger said.
“The one on streaming services, you know, you used to buy a DVD, there’d be a sales tax. Streaming is different. And so I recognize that there’s value in having these conversations,” she added.
The liberal governor’s willingness to consider new revenue sources comes amid pressure from the White House.
“I can’t believe what this new Governor, Spanberger, has done to the Commonwealth — So sad!” President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post last month. “This went from a thriving and powerful place, one envied by all, to a Commonwealth run by a person who has no concept of Low Taxes and Economic Strength.”
Spanberger’s office forcefully pushed back, insisting that none of the proposed taxes have been enacted and criticizing what it described as “the volume of misinformation — spread across social media and repeated in press coverage.”
“The array of taxes that the President asserts move forward in Virginia is sort of ludicrous,” Spanberger said in the interview. “But whether I would ever sign a bill is wholly dependent on, I think, as evidence from my recent actions, is wholly predicated on what is actually in the bill, and how it is outlined.”