What is sales tax higher in some parts of Virginia?

[Anonymous]

I’m a democrat and generally not opposed to taxes but this one seems really unfair. Don’t we already contribute a disproportionate amount of state income tax? How was this justified politically? Honest question.

[Anonymous]

Local jurisdictions can set their own sales tax rates.

The end.

[Anonymous]

We have an extra sales tax to pay for a fund for transportation infrastructure. Hampton Roads has something similar.


Google is your friend.

https://www.insidenova.com/news/local/northernva/northern-virginia-sales-tax-going-up-gas-tax-going-down/article_2aed0b50-e13a-11e2-b251-001a4bcf887a.html

[Anonymous]

Our taxes went up 20% (from 5% to 6%) in NoVA to create a dedicate source of funding for transportation. (The rest of VA went up 10% from 5% to 5.5%).

Fairfax county leadership supported it since we needed to support metro (which the rest of VA doesn't benefit from).

Funny now that they got their 1% sales tax increase, they used it to support the general fund and are now back at the well wanting to raise it again, you guessed it, to support delaying the Metro depth spiral.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our taxes went up 20% (from 5% to 6%) in NoVA to create a dedicate source of funding for transportation. (The rest of VA went up 10% from 5% to 5.5%).

Fairfax county leadership supported it since we needed to support metro (which the rest of VA doesn't benefit from).

Funny now that they got their 1% sales tax increase, they used it to support the general fund and are now back at the well wanting to raise it again, you guessed it, to support delaying the Metro depth spiral.

Much (most?) of it does not go for metro.

Here is what was funded in 2015-2016. http://thenovaauthority.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FY2015-16-Two-Year-Program-Adopted-April-23-2015-by-Jurisdiction.pdf

You will note road widenings, BRT lines, a bus garage,design for a metro entrance in Ballston, and for a new metro station in Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

In fact I am not sure ANY of it goes to metro. IIUC metro funding comes from general funds of individual jurisdictions (arlington, Alexandria, fairfax, etc)

[Anonymous]

Most of our tax money goes to southern Virginia and Richmond, so the local municipalities have to raise sales tax to pay for necessary things.

[Anonymous]

By which I mean metro operating funds. It DOES provide money for metrorail infra in NoVa, like the Ballston metro entrance.

[Anonymous]

In MD, it's 6% just like in VA, but I'm envious of the roads in VA every time I drive there. Seems like VA builds them in anticipation of growth, while MD builds them only after they are desparately needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an extra sales tax to pay for a fund for transportation infrastructure. Hampton Roads has something similar.


Google is your friend.

https://www.insidenova.com/news/local/northernva/northern-virginia-sales-tax-going-up-gas-tax-going-down/article_2aed0b50-e13a-11e2-b251-001a4bcf887a.html

But don’t we (and Richmond and Hampton Roads) already pay a disproportionate amount of state taxes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In MD, it's 6% just like in VA, but I'm envious of the roads in VA every time I drive there. Seems like VA builds them in anticipation of growth, while MD builds them only after they are desparately needed.

We desperately need a new Potomac crossing, but MD is blocking that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have an extra sales tax to pay for a fund for transportation infrastructure. Hampton Roads has something similar.


Google is your friend.

https://www.insidenova.com/news/local/northernva/northern-virginia-sales-tax-going-up-gas-tax-going-down/article_2aed0b50-e13a-11e2-b251-001a4bcf887a.html

But don’t we (and Richmond and Hampton Roads) already pay a disproportionate amount of state taxes?

Mebbe, but that is separate from the issue of transportation funding. I mean I suppose you could argue that the Commonwealth should have just given the congested areas more general funds for those projects, but they never did, and meanwhile the projects were not getting built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MD, it's 6% just like in VA, but I'm envious of the roads in VA every time I drive there. Seems like VA builds them in anticipation of growth, while MD builds them only after they are desparately needed.

We desperately need a new Potomac crossing, but MD is blocking that.

VDOT did a study and said we need a wider bridge, with HOT lanes, at the site of the current ALB, not a new upriver crossing. And Hogan's latest plan would do that.

It is also widely believed we need a new metrorail crossing from Rosslyn to Georgetown, but that does not directly involve Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Arlingotn has a 10% sales tax. It's to get money from all the tourists who come to DC and stay here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MD, it's 6% just like in VA, but I'm envious of the roads in VA every time I drive there. Seems like VA builds them in anticipation of growth, while MD builds them only after they are desparately needed.

We desperately need a new Potomac crossing, but MD is blocking that.

VDOT did a study and said we need a wider bridge, with HOT lanes, at the site of the current ALB, not a new upriver crossing. And Hogan's latest plan would do that.

It is also widely believed we need a new metrorail crossing from Rosslyn to Georgetown, but that does not directly involve Maryland.

If Amazon is coming to the Dulles corridor, we will need that bridge crossing in Loudoun.