This article was written by Alexander J. Stradtman for Fairfax County Times and can be found here.

Imagine a county where dinner costs 10% more overnight – not because of inflation, but because of a new tax. For families like mine, that hike matters. My mom, a U.S. government worker living in Fairfax County and working 40+ hours a week to support two boys, often grabs dinner on her way home from D.C. Starting in 2026, that same meal will face a 10% tax before tip: the existing 6% sales tax plus a new 4 % county meals tax. 

With roughly two-thirds of Fairfax’s general fund tied to real-estate taxes and commercial property values still falling, the Board of Supervisors approved the plan 9-1. Officials expect to receive approximately $68 million in the first six months to support schools, affordable housing, and public safety. But for diners and restaurant staff, it’s a surcharge on necessity disguised as fiscal reform. County leaders say the measure is needed to “diversify revenue.” Fiscal diversity shouldn’t come at the expense of economic dignity. 

Voters have twice rejected a meals tax, and many local businesses are still rebuilding after the COVID-19 Pandemic. “Restaurants are operating on thinner margins than ever,” one Fairfax owner told Inside NoVA after the vote. The new levy hits both sides of the counter: families pay more for convenience, and service workers see fewer customers. A policy aimed at stabilizing county finances risks destabilizing its local economy. 

Research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that food taxes alter household spending. When food costs rise, low-income families buy less – an outcome Fairfax’s policy could easily repeat. Taxing food is never neutral; it quietly changes choices. Wealthier households can absorb a 10% surcharge, but home-health aides, delivery drivers, and night-shift workers face a new tax on convenience itself. 

After three years working in Fairfax restaurants, I’ve seen how tight those margins already are. Many full-time servers and cooks live week to week. A policy meant to reduce dependence on property taxes instead transfers income from plates and paychecks to county coffers. 

Supporters are right that Fairfax needs stable revenue to fund schools and public safety, but urgency isn’t an excuse for regressivity. A single-industry levy may stop the bleeding, but it also cuts off circulation. The county could raise the same funds more equitably by broadening the tax base – through modest commercial assessments that reflect current vacancies, a small countywide sales tax increment, or surcharges on luxury spending. Paired with credits or partial rebates for small restaurants meeting local hiring and wage goals, such reforms would protect both workers and revenue. 

Public health is part of this fairness story, too. Meals eaten away from home are often higher in calories and lower in nutrients, but making them more expensive doesn’t create time to cook, childcare to shop, or reliable transit to reach affordable groceries. It only narrows options. If Fairfax truly wants healthier families and stronger restaurants, it should invest in access: safer late-night transit for shift workers, small-business assistance, and grants for kitchen upgrades. Those investments would strengthen both residents and restaurants, rather than taxing the very meals people rely on to make their days work. 

This debate isn’t about math – it’s about priorities. Sixty-eight million dollars sounds impressive, but spread across 1.2 million residents and thousands of small businesses, it’s less transformative than it appears. The question isn’t whether Fairfax can raise the money; it’s whether it should raise it this way. A revenue system that deepens inequality while claiming to solve it isn’t progress–it’s a hasty convenience. 

Fairfax set out to fix overreliance on property taxes but chose a tool that lands where wallets are thinnest and margins are tightest. Fiscal responsibility and social fairness aren’t opposing goals; they depend on each other. True leadership means diversifying revenue without punishing dinner tables. Fairfax can lead by demonstrating that smart taxation not only protects its budget but also the people it serves.