As Fairfax County leaders explore adding new sources of revenue, an advocacy campaign has emerged in opposition to a potential tax on prepared food.
Though many Northern Virginia localities already have meals taxes, a nonprofit called Fairfax Families and Workers Against the Food Tax that publicly launched last week argues the tax would be unpopular with Fairfax County residents, who narrowly rejected the idea at the ballot box twice before.
“Making ends meet as a business owner versus having to close often comes down to small variations in customer traffic,” Duk Man Kim, owner of Annandale’s Jang Won Restaurant, said in a statement. “Having to raise the price for consumers on their bill due to the County pushing this tax will make this task even harder.”
Fairfax County voters rejected a proposed 4% meals tax in November 2016 by 56% to 44% margin, but the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2020 that granted counties the authority to implement a meals tax of up to 6% without a referendum.
The tax is now one option being considered primarily to provide more funding for local schools, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay told FFXnow. Funding gaps have triggered increases in real estate taxes, which are currently the main revenue source available to Fairfax County.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out a way to take some pressure off of real estate,” McKay said. “[We need to] raise awareness in the community about this staggering state underfunding of public education that is the driver behind the need for additional revenue to begin with, and [we’re] trying to have a reasonable conversation with people about what are the fair ways to generate that revenue.”
The board voted 9-1 in May to direct the county executive’s office to identify potential sources of revenue for the county. A meals tax mentioned as a possible option, but not the only one.
The local restaurant industry, however, is proactively preparing for a battle. According to WTOP, about 100 restaurant owners are involved in the new “Stop the Food Tax” campaign, which now has a website.
Fairfax Families and Workers Against the Food Tax says it’s a nonprofit “made up of restaurateurs, their teams, and the community at-large,” including the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association, an advocacy group for the state’s hospitality industry.
County Executive Bryan Hill is scheduled to recommend revenue options to the board on Sept. 17.
“Not every action we take has a poll that tells us it’s the right action to take, but there’s one poll that happens every four years, and that is who you put in office to make these kind of decisions for you on a daily basis,” McKay said. “…I make the decisions that I have to make, and I think my colleagues on the board make the decisions that they have to make based on the totality of community feedback that they get, as well as what’s in the best interest of the county and the communities we represent.”
