News

Fairfax City Council members voted unanimously Oct. 28 to ask the General Assembly to remove the existing cap on taxes levied on hotel stays in the city.

The City Charter currently caps the rate at 4%, below most jurisdictions across Virginia. In Fairfax County, the occupancy tax rate increased from 7% to 9% on Oct. 1, with different portions of the revenue going toward general county funds, tourism and regional transportation.


Countywide

A state legislative panel set up to identify potential new funding for Northern Virginia transit completed its work this week by delivering a firm starting number: $400 million annually.

But the panel opted against prioritizing which funding streams would work best as it readied its report for consideration during the 2026 General Assembly session.


Countywide

Virginia’s state and local governments would be required to come up with $136 million annually in additional funding for Metro rail and bus service starting in mid-2027, if recommendations from a key regional task force make it through a still-uncertain future.

The DMV Moves task force approved a nonbinding framework yesterday (Wednesday) for increased, dedicated capital spending in support of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It recommends $460 million in additional funding split between Virginia, Maryland and D.C., starting in fiscal year 2028 and rising after that at a rate of 3% per year.


Countywide

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at a special meeting today (Tuesday) to retroactively extend the deadline for car tax payments from yesterday (Monday) to Wednesday, Nov. 5.

The temporary relief was granted in response to the current federal government shutdown, which is adding to economic challenges already facing county residents and the D.C. region as a whole.


News

Diners will pay a little bit more to eat at Vienna restaurants starting next year.

By a 6-1 vote yesterday (Monday), the Vienna Town Council approved a one-percentage-point increase to the town’s meals tax, bumping the current 3% rate to 4% indefinitely.


Countywide

Time is running out for Fairfax County homeowners to get a federal tax credit for adopting solar energy.

The reconciliation bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on July 4 will eliminate a residential clean energy credit that lets residential property owners deduct 30% of the cost of installing rooftop solar panels, solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and other clean energy systems from their federal income taxes.


Countywide

Fairfax County Democrats are going on the offensive over the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” calling the legislation a “betrayal” that will hurt Virginians.

Speaking last Thursday (July 10) at a virtual roundtable, three local lawmakers took aim at the nearly 1,000-page budget reconciliation bill, which was signed into law on July 4.


Countywide

Fairfax County leaders hope to soon have a better gauge of how much they’re getting back from tax revenue sent to Richmond.

The Board of Supervisors voted yesterday (Tuesday) to direct County Executive Bryan Hill and staff to return before the end of the year with an analysis of how many local tax dollars flow to the state government, and how much comes back.


Countywide

In part due to opposition from Fairfax County leaders, the regional DMV Moves task force appears to have abandoned a proposal for a regional sales tax to provide additional Metro funding.

A collaborative effort between the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the DMV Moves task force has been working for a year on developing funding alternatives.


Opinion

Fairfax County will soon join most other Northern Virginia jurisdictions in having a meals tax.

The Board of Supervisors officially adopted a budget on Tuesday (May 13) that will decrease the local property tax rate by a quarter-cent to $1.1225 per $100 of assessed value, though homeowners will still see their annual tax bill for 2025 rise by an average of $499, due to higher home assessments.


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