Issued By:
Vincent B. Orange, Jr.
Chairman, Orange for Mayor Campaign
202-409-2147
vboj02@gmail.com
Washington, D.C. — The United States Senate has passed a resolution preventing the District from implementing its tax decoupling legislation. The resolution now proceeds to the President.
If signed into law, the measure would result in approximately $600 million in multi-year revenue adjustments within the District’s financial plan.
At the same time, The Washington Post has reported that maintaining current service levels would require approximately $1.1 billion in additional revenue, driven by healthcare and child care cost growth.
“These realities must be addressed together,” said Vincent Orange.
“When a financial plan depends on federal inaction, it must include a contingency model. That is standard practice in tax law and public finance.”
Orange, an attorney, Certified Public Accountant, and graduate of Georgetown University with a Master of Laws in Taxation, emphasized that fiscal plans must incorporate constitutional authority under Article I, Section 8.
“If the resolution is signed, the District must adjust structurally — not reactively,” Orange said. “We must protect services, maintain reserves, and preserve our bond rating.”
Orange outlined a responsible framework:
- Moderate expenditure growth responsibly
- Strengthen revenue compliance before raising rates
- Improve operational efficiency
- Protect reserves and debt affordability ratios
- Establish a Revenue Alignment Commission
The proposed Commission would review revenue generation, statutory purpose, program costs, excess collections, and sustainability, producing a public ledger within 90 days.
“Taxpayer relief and fiscal discipline are not mutually exclusive,” Orange added. “But fiscal discipline must come first.”