"If it's for education, I don't mind paying an extra half-cent per dollar," said Lewandowski, 36, a financial consultant with three children younger than 9.
Few shoppers expressed confidence that the extra revenue would go where legislators said it would.
Mary Guzzardo, 48, smokes a cigarette while waiting for a bus in Arlington. She said she is willing to pay the higher state tax on cigarettes. Others were less supportive of higher taxes.
(Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)
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"We don't really know where our money is going," said Lauren Vernon, 45, of Centreville. "If it is going toward education, why is it the first place they cut?"
Mia Crenshaw, 38, said she saw paying the higher tax as an investment in future generations. "It's for our benefit. I'm hoping to get something in return," said the Leesburg homemaker, who hadn't noticed the increase when she bought Christmas ornaments, wrapping paper and holiday cards at a Costco yesterday. "Our economy is still strong," she said.
Smokers, a favorite target of revenue-hungry legislators across the country, took it on the chin yesterday, when the Virginia tax on a pack of smokes went up 17 1/2 cents. Some were resigned to paying more; others were combative.
"I love to smoke," said Aidan Harrington, 18, of Manassas, who bought a carton of Camel Turkish Gold. "I smoke for me, not the politicians."
The higher tax amounts to discrimination against smokers, said Danny Compton, 51, who was outside the Best Smokes Tobacco Outlet in Fairfax County. He walked out of the store with three packs of Merit Lights, a two-day supply, which had gone up from $3.50 a pack to nearly $3.70, a change he hadn't expected.
"They already cost too much," said Compton, a lineman with Dominion Virginia Power. "If I want to smoke myself to death, let me. Don't tax me more."
Tax increases have prompted the owner of Triangle Cigarettes Discount Store to take the "discount" out of its name. Before the state cigarette tax increase, owner Abraham D. Nam had to deal with a Manassas city cigarette tax increase in July. In June, a pack of Marlboro Lights was $2.78. After he sells off his current stock, the price will be $3.14 a pack.
"I've lost a lot of customers; my business has gone down, down, down,'' he said.
Nam has changed the name of his store to Triangle Convenience Store and hopes to sell more shirts, hats and other items.
The sales tax changes seem to have gone smoothly among retailers.
Local government employees worked overtime to make sure the increase in the real estate recording tax caused a minimum of confusion.
Gary M. Clemens, clerk of the Circuit Court in Loudoun County, and much of his staff stayed until 9 p.m. Tuesday to process recordings received before the increase went into effect. "We knew it would result in a major headache to send them all back," Clemens said. The line at the courthouse was still long at the usual closing time of 4 p.m.
Clemens said he and his staff have been preparing for the increase since July 1. Despite the preparation, the first day of the tax still proved hectic, because many real estate transactions take place at the end and beginning of the month.
Clemens said his office had to reject several transactions that arrived by mail yesterday because the tax payments were calculated under the old rates and were insufficient.
Land records clerks in Arlington County and Alexandria said they had prepared for the higher real estate taxes by updating their computer systems and posting notices.
Both offices said they were able to process all recordings received Tuesday by the end of the day.
Staff writer Lila Arzua contributed to this report.
