Taxes

For those of us who have lived in Fairfax County for more than a decade or two, we cannot believe how our once-great place to live has been decimated by a decade of Democrat rule. The traffic congestion is probably to a large extent unavoidable, and taxes and spending – in absolute terms – will inevitably increase as the population expands. But that does not mean the rate of taxes and spending must rise disproportionately relative to population growth

Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) was on WMAL’s Larry O’Connor Show Tuesday evening. The discussion focused on the county’s budget shortfall, with so many businesses and residents now struggling as the result of coronavirus-related closures. “We’ve got to hold the line and not increase taxes,” Mr. Herrity said.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors simply cannot and will not live within their means. Of course, their “means” means our taxes. This group of Democrats that never met a tax dollar it didn’t like has done it again. Our real estate taxes have just been raised an average of about 4.2%. Of course, next year, an election year for the entire Board of Supervisors and the School Board, there will be no tax increase. You heard it here first.

With all the new residential and business construction going on all over the County, one might expect…

The Educational Employees’ Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC) was established July 1, 1973, to provide an independent retirement plan for Fairfax County Public Schools’ personnel as a supplement to the primary benefits they earn and receive separately from the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) and Social Security.      
Currently, at age 55 after 30 years of working for FCPS, a retiring employee’s yearly pension amount paid by the VRS comes to about 50% of that person’s average pay based on his/her 5 highest-paid years.  Normally, Social Security benefits would equate to around 25% of a person’s income earned during those 30 years of County employment at “full retirement” age, now 67 for new FCPS hires.  The ERFC supplement was designed to make up for losing that 25% by retiring prior to age 67.  In essence, retiring FCPS employees receive 75% of their pay at age 55.  However, the County now…

By Pat Herrity

On May 1, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8 to 2 for a 2.25 cent increase in the tax rate on homeowners (2 cent real property and .25 cent increase in storm water tax). Together with the rise in assessments, taxes on the average homeowner will go up over 4.5% this year and 26% over the last five years. In addition, the Board voted to increase a number of other fees and taxes including the sewer rate. It is clear that taxpayers were an afterthought and not a priority in this budget. Supervisor Cook and I voted against the tax increases and budget. Just over a year ago our taxpayers sent a message they had been taxed enough—soundly defeating….

In her 4/24/18 Bulova Byline email, County Chairman Sharon Bulova’s statements on the proposed FY2019 real estate tax increase are misleading. Her proposed FY2019 rate of $1.15 per $100 of assessed value omits the stormwater rate. When the stormwater rate is included the proposed FY2019 rate is actually $1.1825.

She states that new budget includes a 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate but this omits the additional tax increase due to the 2.2% increase in average residential assessments. The effective rate increase when assessments and the additional stormwater rate increase (1/4 cent) are included is 4.7 cents, not 2 cents.

The typical Fairfax County homeowner’s real estate tax bill will increase by $258, a 4.2% increase, while Loudoun County cut its real estate tax rate by 4 cents.