No job, cannot afford Fairfax County tax hike

[Anonymous]

Our taxes have increased on average 20% year over year and tax basis is inflated over market value. This has nothing to do with overbuying, but excessive tax increases. My spouse and I bought a home we could afford, and our mortgage payment has increased more than 30% in 5 years due to tax increases. We've disputed, but not seen much relief.

[Anonymous]

Most of the county budget goes to FCPS, and FCPS prioritizes teacher/staff pay increases and services to poor families over everything else. They will continue to impose higher taxes on those who can afford to pay them as long as they possibly can.

[Anonymous]

Real estate taxes have gone down in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, in part thanks to tax revenue from data centers which send no children to schools and use little in the way of County services. And, less spending on social welfare, subsidized housing, and benefits to homeless people who don't contribute to the economy. Smart growth.

[Anonymous]

Because you're making less money, they are receiving less in taxes. I think taxes will be going up a lot more than you expect soon.

[Anonymous]

If you have no job, you may find you can't afford Fairfax County in general, not just the tax hike. Then you think about selling your house and moving to something cheaper (which is also $$ but sometimes the best thing to do when the world changes on you.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our taxes have increased on average 20% year over year and tax basis is inflated over market value. This has nothing to do with overbuying, but excessive tax increases. My spouse and I bought a home we could afford, and our mortgage payment has increased more than 30% in 5 years due to tax increases. We've disputed, but not seen much relief.

Same. Fixed rate mortgage and we escrow. Monthly payment has increased by 30% in the last decade due solely to property taxes and insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have no job, you may find you can't afford Fairfax County in general, not just the tax hike. Then you think about selling your house and moving to something cheaper (which is also $$ but sometimes the best thing to do when the world changes on you.)

It's not like DH will be unemployed indefinitely. But he was for 2 months this year, as will be MANY residents in Fairfax County. So it's pretty disingenuous for elected folks to pretend to care about the layoffs in 2025 at the same time as sticking us with an extra $500+/month bill. That's a car payment.

Maybe DOGE should look at FCPS spending as a federal funds recipient. Why has their budget exploded since 2019? We all know teacher salaries didn't double and new schools aren't popping up everywhere. They are bursting at the seams. What in tarnation is going on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have no job, you may find you can't afford Fairfax County in general, not just the tax hike. Then you think about selling your house and moving to something cheaper (which is also $$ but sometimes the best thing to do when the world changes on you.)

It's not like DH will be unemployed indefinitely. But he was for 2 months this year, as will be MANY residents in Fairfax County. So it's pretty disingenuous for elected folks to pretend to care about the layoffs in 2025 at the same time as sticking us with an extra $500+/month bill. That's a car payment.

Maybe DOGE should look at FCPS spending as a federal funds recipient. Why has their budget exploded since 2019? We all know teacher salaries didn't double and new schools aren't popping up everywhere. They are bursting at the seams. What in tarnation is going on?

Subsidized housing through zoning and other twisting of the free market is a big part of the problem. it encourage people who can't afford to live in the County, to live in the County. Their income levels result in them paying little in the way of taxes, while disproportionally consuming public services. Who then pays for the public services?

Vote out the free-spending Democrats who make up almost all of the County Board of Supervisors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have no job, you may find you can't afford Fairfax County in general, not just the tax hike. Then you think about selling your house and moving to something cheaper (which is also $$ but sometimes the best thing to do when the world changes on you.)

It's not like DH will be unemployed indefinitely. But he was for 2 months this year, as will be MANY residents in Fairfax County. So it's pretty disingenuous for elected folks to pretend to care about the layoffs in 2025 at the same time as sticking us with an extra $500+/month bill. That's a car payment.

Maybe DOGE should look at FCPS spending as a federal funds recipient. Why has their budget exploded since 2019? We all know teacher salaries didn't double and new schools aren't popping up everywhere. They are bursting at the seams. What in tarnation is going on?

Subsidized housing through zoning and other twisting of the free market is a big part of the problem. it encourage people who can't afford to live in the County, to live in the County. Their income levels result in them paying little in the way of taxes, while disproportionally consuming public services. Who then pays for the public services?

Vote out the free-spending Democrats who make up almost all of the County Board of Supervisors.

The county isn’t funded by income taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have no job, you may find you can't afford Fairfax County in general, not just the tax hike. Then you think about selling your house and moving to something cheaper (which is also $$ but sometimes the best thing to do when the world changes on you.)

It's not like DH will be unemployed indefinitely. But he was for 2 months this year, as will be MANY residents in Fairfax County. So it's pretty disingenuous for elected folks to pretend to care about the layoffs in 2025 at the same time as sticking us with an extra $500+/month bill. That's a car payment.

Maybe DOGE should look at FCPS spending as a federal funds recipient. Why has their budget exploded since 2019? We all know teacher salaries didn't double and new schools aren't popping up everywhere. They are bursting at the seams. What in tarnation is going on?

Subsidized housing through zoning and other twisting of the free market is a big part of the problem. it encourage people who can't afford to live in the County, to live in the County. Their income levels result in them paying little in the way of taxes, while disproportionally consuming public services. Who then pays for the public services?

Vote out the free-spending Democrats who make up almost all of the County Board of Supervisors.

The county isn’t funded by income taxes.

Nobody said income taxes. The County is, however, funded by sales, vehicle, permit, and real estate taxes, which are all paid disproportionally by people with higher incomes and greater levels of spending. People with little income pay little in the way of any kind of taxes, but they consume social services the County chooses to provide and which can act as incentives to live in an otherwise unaffordable environment instead of somewhere they can actually afford on the incomes they have.

[Anonymous]

I need to go back and compare, again, 2019 vs. 2024 FCPS budget. But from what I remember, a lot of the new spending was not spent on salary boosts or new school capital. And this is half the county budget. There needs to be serious review of why budget went up over 1 billion ish for the FCPS before the county throws more money at it. How much of the past increase are fulltime classroom teachers even getting in raises? What percent have classroom teachers increased in total? Is this even described in any budget materisls, or is it lumped into salary/payroll for everyone? Are teachers getting screwed? I feel like residents are.

[Anonymous]

It is crazy that people in Fairfax are paying up to $20,000 per year in real estate taxes. Absolutely mental. We sold and left.

[Anonymous]

My husband was let go several times in his life.
And yet I didn't come on DCUM to whine about it. We lived very near the bone many times, OP, with small children. We lived in shitty housing situations too, with small children.

I hope you understand that a lot of people get squeezed at any given point in time, and economic decisions are made regardless of their situations.

In other words, stop navel-gazing and deal with it. Best of luck. I've been there with my family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy that people in Fairfax are paying up to $20,000 per year in real estate taxes. Absolutely mental. We sold and left.

Real estate taxes in Northern VA are so much lower than many other parts of the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy that people in Fairfax are paying up to $20,000 per year in real estate taxes. Absolutely mental. We sold and left.

Real estate taxes in Northern VA are so much lower than many other parts of the country.

Places without income taxes like Texas, ok.

But the news said this rate hike would make ours one of highest. Plus, we pay income taxes, plus we pay the most regressive tax on earth - the car tax. Poor people drive Hondas, rich drive Hondas, they pay equal tax bills but for the poor it's a much higher burden. Way to go Fairfax!