Arlington’s elected officials on the County Board and in Richmond appear to have different ideas on who should shoulder higher costs for Metro service.
As part of an annual legislative work session yesterday (Thursday), Board members pressed legislators to find more money in the state budget for transit. In response, two senior lawmakers asked why Northern Virginia localities refused to use a new revenue tool they had been given.
Falls Church city leaders are beginning to mull the implications of splitting real-estate taxes into separate rates for land and improvements.
That could fundamentally change tax bills for property owners and is not something the city should rush into, one veteran City Council member says.
Arlington’s tax-delinquency rate ticked up slightly over the past year, but remains at a level the county’s new treasurer says is not cause for worry.
The county’s 0.2% delinquency rate for fiscal year 2026 was up just a hair from 0.18% in 2025 and 0.17% in 2024, Treasurer Kim Rucker told ARLnow on Sept. 21.
Falls Church City Council members have begun cautious discussions about a possible new tax on commercial and industrial property owners.
Under state law, the city has the ability to levy a surcharge of up to 12.5 cents per $100 assessed valuation on non-residential properties, so long as the funding supports new transportation initiatives.
Arlington’s commercial real estate market has many challenges, but one factor working in its favor may be D.C.’s tax code.
Taxes across the Potomac have come into the crosshairs of Republican lawmakers since a wave of progressive politicians swept the Democratic primaries in D.C.
Shopping for back-to-school supplies and other items will be cheaper in Arlington during a statewide sales tax holiday this weekend.
The three-day holiday, which lasts from Friday to Sunday, temporarily lifts the sales tax on clothing, footwear and school supplies, as well as emergency preparedness products and some appliances.
Owners of electric vehicles may have to pay more for a charge at Arlington County facilities starting later this year.
The County Board has directed staff to prepare an ordinance to increase charging rates from the current 17.46 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 30 cents per kWh.
Arlington’s new treasurer expects the county’s numbers on tax delinquency to remain on par with last year’s.
Given the region’s challenging current economic realities, “it will be a great accomplishment to keep it where it was,” Treasurer Kim Rucker told members of Arlington Senior Democrats at a July 14 luncheon.
Arlington leaders are laying the groundwork for a 2027 referendum asking voters to increase the local sales tax from 6% to 7%.
“Arlington is very seriously considering it,” County Board member Maureen Coffey said at the July 2 meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) board of directors.
Democratic leaders in the Virginia General Assembly reached an agreement on a state budget with a compromise on taxing data centers.
The proposed budget agreement, announced last Friday evening, kept the sales and use tax exemption for data centers, which has divided lawmakers in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. However, it adds a new data center electricity consumption tax, which would charge a rate of $0.011 per kilowatt hour based on the electricity a data center uses each month.
More owners of low-valued vehicles could receive a full exemption from car taxes in Falls Church.
Vehicles assessed at $1,500 or less are currently exempt from the city’s car tax of $4.80 per $100 assessed valuation. Under a proposal brought to Council members by Commissioner of Revenue Tom Clinton and city staff, the exemption level would double to $3,000.
Democrats challenging incumbent Matt de Ferranti are criticizing the County Board for what they see as putting government spending ahead of tax relief.
Echoing a theme long trumpeted by Republican and independent political challengers to the county’s all-Democratic Board, candidates James DeVita and Julie Farnam each used the June 3 Arlington County Democratic Committee candidate forum to accuse the Board of excessive spending.
