Punishing Portsmouth tax

The proposed tolls for the two Portsmouth-Norfolk tunnels threaten to strangle Portsmouth and imperil the livelihood of its people, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.

The only way to get to a workplace, school or medical appointment outside the city without having to pay will be toward Suffolk via Interstate 264. At an annual average of about $900 per car for a five-day-a week job, some people will have to sacrifice heat, food or medications just to get to work.

Many questions remain unanswered: Why weren't Portsmouth citizens given a chance to respond to VDOT once all the cards were on the table? Why does our governor, who has declared he will veto any bill that raises taxes, not see that this is a virtual tax on Portsmouth citizens, unduly burdening the poorest city of the region?

And if the governor will not be moved to change his position, why a toll only on our two tunnels and not on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel or on the bridge that is part of the downtown tunnel system?

Since the two Portsmouth tunnels provide evacuation access for the cities east of us, why aren't our neighboring cities sharing the burden with those of us who must commute every day?

I would prefer no new tunnel to a toll that would put Portsmouth shops and restaurants out of business, lead to an exodus of those who work in Norfolk or own small businesses there, and impose an extreme hardship on the poor of our city.

Families will suffer. Businesses will suffer. Yet the governor who professes to be pro-family and pro-business has not lifted a finger to help.

Julia Dorsey Loomis

Portsmouth