Bryan McNulty didn't know that he owed thousands of dollars in taxes to Virginia when he got an unexpected note from his payroll department.
"I got home, checked the mail and it said that Virginia state had garnished 100% of my wages for taxes, and I was blown away. 100% is all of it. It's your livelihood," McNulty said. "What do you do?"
Delegate Carrie Coyner is a Republican from Chesterfield who says the government should not be able to garnish 100% of anybody's paycheck.
"Why work? Why earn money when I can't keep any of it? I think it's a really common-sense approach," Coyner said. "It ensures that people do have their taxes repaid. But it also encourages people to be able to continue working."
Her bill would create some protections, making sure that people can earn a bare minimum salary -- even if they still tax bill to the Commonwealth of Virginia. It might make paying the debt a little longer, she says, but it won't ruin people in the process.
Lawmakers will be debating that bill when they gavel into session in mid-January.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
