A Penny For Your Thoughts

Cigarette taxes will go up in September, but real estate property taxes will go down next summer. At least that’s the plan initiated by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at Monday’s Board meeting. Legislation in the Virginia General Assembly authorized Fairfax County to increase the county’s per pack cigarette levy from five cents to 20 cents, effective September 1, and to 30 cents next July. The Board of Supervisors unanimously supported Chairman Gerry Connolly’s motion to put the expected additional revenue from the cigarette tax and a corresponding increase in the county’s share of the recordation tax into a reserve fund that would be used for real estate tax reduction in Fiscal Year 2006. The Board did not support Supervisor Michael Frey’s amendment to offset the athletic fee that was adopted as part of the FY 2005 budget in April.

During the past few years, most Virginia counties have pleaded for the General Assembly to provide some diversification in local revenues. Ninety percent of Fairfax County’s revenues are controlled or capped by the state, placing an onerous burden on the local real estate taxpayer. Nearly 60 percent of the county budget is dependent on real estate taxes. Because of the delay in passage of the state budget by the General Assembly, the additional and recurring revenue from the cigarette and recordation taxes was not anticipated when the county’s budget was adopted in April. The Board has pledged to continue its efforts to reduce the real estate tax burden as property owners continue to see double-digit assessment increases in the super-heated local real estate market.

If Virginia’s tax system has you puzzled, you may want to enroll in a four-part course for understanding the political process, offered by the League of Women Voters of Fairfax County, in cooperation with Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Com-munity Education. The course dates are September 15 and 29, and October 13 and 27 (all Wednesdays), from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. Wonder who makes the decisions for Fairfax County? Want to know why schools and roads are overcrowded? Who really has the taxing power in Virginia? All these questions, and more, will be answered in an overview of how our local government works and relates to Virginia state government. The fee for the four two-hour sessions is $25. To register and prepay the fee, call 703/227-2231, or log on to www.lwv-fairfax.org for more information.

The 56th Annual 4-H Fair will be held this weekend at Frying Pan Park, not far from Dulles Airport. There will be animal shows and displays, craft and food vendors, and lots of activities to demonstrate the value to 4-H in a modern urban world. The 4-H Fair will be held rain or shine on Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8.