diff --git a/extension.neon b/extension.neon
index 9c368f4..2099e18 100644
--- a/extension.neon
+++ b/extension.neon
@@ -48,9 +48,6 @@ services:
         arguments:
             - %todo_by.referenceVersion%
 
-    -
-        class: staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer
-
     -
         class: staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder
         arguments:
diff --git a/src/TodoByDateRule.php b/src/TodoByDateRule.php
index 6987cd4..55fa18d 100644
--- a/src/TodoByDateRule.php
+++ b/src/TodoByDateRule.php
@@ -4,19 +4,11 @@
 
 use PhpParser\Node;
 use PHPStan\Analyser\Scope;
-use PHPStan\Node\VirtualNode;
 use PHPStan\Rules\Rule;
-use PHPStan\Rules\RuleErrorBuilder;
-use PHPStan\ShouldNotHappenException;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\CommentMatcher;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
-use function preg_match_all;
 use function strtotime;
-use function substr_count;
-use function time;
 use function trim;
-use const PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE;
-use const PREG_SET_ORDER;
 
 /**
  * @implements Rule<Node>
diff --git a/src/TodoByPackageVersionRule.php b/src/TodoByPackageVersionRule.php
index 47e2778..a4cb141 100644
--- a/src/TodoByPackageVersionRule.php
+++ b/src/TodoByPackageVersionRule.php
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\CommentMatcher;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ReferenceVersionFinder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer;
 use function preg_match_all;
 use function substr_count;
 use function trim;
diff --git a/src/TodoByVersionRule.php b/src/TodoByVersionRule.php
index abc0e01..2ca4186 100644
--- a/src/TodoByVersionRule.php
+++ b/src/TodoByVersionRule.php
@@ -2,22 +2,14 @@
 
 namespace staabm\PHPStanTodoBy;
 
-use Composer\Semver\Comparator;
 use Composer\Semver\VersionParser;
 use PhpParser\Node;
 use PHPStan\Analyser\Scope;
-use PHPStan\Node\VirtualNode;
 use PHPStan\Rules\Rule;
-use PHPStan\Rules\RuleErrorBuilder;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\CommentMatcher;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ReferenceVersionFinder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer;
-use function preg_match_all;
-use function substr_count;
 use function trim;
-use const PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE;
-use const PREG_SET_ORDER;
 
 /**
  * @implements Rule<Node>
@@ -38,8 +30,6 @@ final class TodoByVersionRule implements Rule
 }ix
 REGEXP;
 
-    private VersionNormalizer $versionNormalizer;
-
     private ReferenceVersionFinder $referenceVersionFinder;
 
     private bool $singleGitRepo;
@@ -54,13 +44,11 @@ final class TodoByVersionRule implements Rule
     public function __construct(
         bool $singleGitRepo,
         ReferenceVersionFinder $refVersionFinder,
-        VersionNormalizer $versionNormalizer,
         ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder $errorBuilder
     ) {
         $this->referenceVersionFinder = $refVersionFinder;
         $this->errorBuilder = $errorBuilder;
         $this->singleGitRepo = $singleGitRepo;
-        $this->versionNormalizer = $versionNormalizer;
     }
 
     public function getNodeType(): string
@@ -140,8 +128,9 @@ private function getReferenceVersion(Scope $scope): string
         }
 
         if (!array_key_exists($cacheKey, $this->referenceVersions)) {
+            $versionParser = new VersionParser();
             // lazy get the version, as it might incur subprocess creation
-            $this->referenceVersions[$cacheKey] = $this->versionNormalizer->normalize(
+            $this->referenceVersions[$cacheKey] = $versionParser->normalize(
                 $this->referenceVersionFinder->find($workingDirectory)
             );
         }
diff --git a/src/utils/VersionNormalizer.php b/src/utils/VersionNormalizer.php
deleted file mode 100644
index b0a60ca..0000000
--- a/src/utils/VersionNormalizer.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-<?php
-
-namespace staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils;
-
-use Composer\Semver\VersionParser;
-
-final class VersionNormalizer
-{
-    private VersionParser $versionParser;
-
-    public function __construct()
-    {
-        $this->versionParser = new VersionParser();
-    }
-
-    public function normalize(string $version): string
-    {
-        return $this->versionParser->normalize($version);
-    }
-}
diff --git a/tests/TodoByPackageVersionRuleTest.php b/tests/TodoByPackageVersionRuleTest.php
index ac33e73..849e132 100644
--- a/tests/TodoByPackageVersionRuleTest.php
+++ b/tests/TodoByPackageVersionRuleTest.php
@@ -5,11 +5,7 @@
 use PHPStan\Rules\Rule;
 use PHPStan\Testing\RuleTestCase;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\TodoByPackageVersionRule;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\TodoByVersionRule;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\GitTagFetcher;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ReferenceVersionFinder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer;
 
 /**
  * @extends RuleTestCase<TodoByPackageVersionRule>
diff --git a/tests/TodoByVersionRuleAlwaysThrowingFetchterTest.php b/tests/TodoByVersionRuleAlwaysThrowingFetchterTest.php
index af469d4..00670d0 100644
--- a/tests/TodoByVersionRuleAlwaysThrowingFetchterTest.php
+++ b/tests/TodoByVersionRuleAlwaysThrowingFetchterTest.php
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\TodoByVersionRule;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ReferenceVersionFinder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer;
 
 /**
  * @extends RuleTestCase<TodoByVersionRule>
@@ -20,7 +19,6 @@ protected function getRule(): Rule
         return new TodoByVersionRule(
             true,
             new ReferenceVersionFinder($this->referenceVersion, new AlwaysThrowingTagFetcher()),
-            new VersionNormalizer(),
             new ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder(true)
         );
     }
diff --git a/tests/TodoByVersionRuleSingleTimeFetchterTest.php b/tests/TodoByVersionRuleSingleTimeFetchterTest.php
index db6a663..ef88338 100644
--- a/tests/TodoByVersionRuleSingleTimeFetchterTest.php
+++ b/tests/TodoByVersionRuleSingleTimeFetchterTest.php
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\TodoByVersionRule;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ReferenceVersionFinder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer;
 
 /**
  * @extends RuleTestCase<TodoByVersionRule>
@@ -20,7 +19,6 @@ protected function getRule(): Rule
         return new TodoByVersionRule(
             false,
             new ReferenceVersionFinder($this->referenceVersion, new SingleTimeTagFetcher()),
-            new VersionNormalizer(),
             new ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder(true)
         );
     }
diff --git a/tests/TodoByVersionRuleTest.php b/tests/TodoByVersionRuleTest.php
index a1e94a4..969ccc3 100644
--- a/tests/TodoByVersionRuleTest.php
+++ b/tests/TodoByVersionRuleTest.php
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\GitTagFetcher;
 use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\ReferenceVersionFinder;
-use staabm\PHPStanTodoBy\utils\VersionNormalizer;
 
 /**
  * @extends RuleTestCase<TodoByVersionRule>
@@ -21,7 +20,6 @@ protected function getRule(): Rule
         return new TodoByVersionRule(
             true,
             new ReferenceVersionFinder($this->referenceVersion, new GitTagFetcher()),
-            new VersionNormalizer(),
             new ExpiredCommentErrorBuilder(true),
         );
     }