The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors set the stage yesterday (Oct. 13) for a tax on recreational marijuana at the highest rate allowed when retail sales become legal next summer.
On a 10-0 vote, the supervisors directed staff to develop an ordinance that would impose a 3.5% cannabis tax on top of the state sales tax and a 6% state marijuana tax, all slated to take effect when Virginia starts permitting retail sales on July 1, 2027.
The state government needs to step up and take some of the burden for funding core services off the backs of Northern Virginia residents and localities, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay told members of the county’s legislative delegation.
“The exhaustion level is getting real,” McKay said of the state pushing off its funding responsibilities to the local level.
Fairfax County supervisors reacted enthusiastically, but with some caution this week to a staff plan that would provide long-term tax breaks for affordable housing in order to reduce initial financing costs.
Discussion at the Board of Supervisors’ Housing Committee meeting on Tuesday (Oct. 6) focused on piloting the authority newly granted by the Virginia General Assembly on two upcoming projects: Dulles Greene near the Innovation Center Metro station in the Herndon area and East County in Bailey’s Crossroads.
When Fairfax City voters go to the polls in November, they’ll be asked to grant approval for a general retail sales tax increase of up to 1% for construction and renovation of school and/or public transportation purposes.
To give voters the details they need to decide, City of Fairfax Public Schools will host a series of informational meetings about the referendum, starting this week.
Back-to-school shoppers will have an extra incentive to grab their school supplies, clothes and other items this weekend in Fairfax County and across the state.
Virginia will hold its annual three-day sales tax holiday, from Friday, Aug. 7 to Sunday, Aug. 9. Over the three days, the state and local option sales taxes are temporarily waived on qualifying clothing, footwear and school supplies, as well as emergency preparedness products and some appliances. The tax exemption applies to in-store and online shopping, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation.
Fairfax City voters will decide in November whether to approve a general retail sales tax increase of up to 1% that could generate up to $13.5 million to fund construction projects and long-term maintenance of the city’s schools.
The Fairfax City Council voted unanimously last Tuesday (July 14) to request that the Fairfax Circuit Court order a special election on Nov. 3 asking voters whether the city should levy the tax. Long sought by the city, the ability to implement the sales tax was authorized by the General Assembly’s new state budget late last month.
The Fairfax County School Board recently passed a resolution affirming its support for a possible 1% sales tax to fund its $400 million backlog of maintenance and capital improvement projects.
In light of the new state budget adopted by the Virginia General Assembly late last month allowing local jurisdictions to increase their sales tax rate up to 1% to support education and transportation, the school board voted unanimously on July 9 to ask the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to place the issue before voters as a referendum during a general election.
Optimism among Northern Virginia business leaders is improving, although some expressed worries about taxes and the state’s approval of a paid family and medical leave program.
That’s according to the second-quarter 2026 Business Leader Survey released last week by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and public relations firm Pinkston, revealing the sentiments of the region’s CEOs, senior executives and business owners.
Vienna leaders are taking a breather, both on plans to build an aquatics and fitness center on the currently vacant Annex property and on the possibility of reversing a meals tax increase primarily intended to fund that facility.
After about 40 minutes of debate, the Vienna Town Council voted 5-2 on Monday (July 6) to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 22, 2027 on whether the town should reduce its meals tax rate from 4% to 3%.
Fairfax officials acknowledge they have no easy solutions to offset rising costs of operating the local government’s trash collection facilities.
Fairfax property owners might need to pay for future funding shortfalls — a possibility that may be equally unwelcome to county supervisors as they prepare for an election year in 2027.
