The Stafford County Board of Supervisors wants to give residents and business owners some breathing room when it comes to their tax bills, where it can.
The county has looked into four different areas of tax relief, possibly delaying the collection of some taxes during the coronavirus outbreak. The Board of Supervisors could take action for some of these taxes, while others might be a bit more complicated due to rules and regulations.
Here are the taxes and what actions the County could potentially take:
Meals taxes
Unfortunately, there’s nothing the board can do when it comes to the county’s meals tax, officials said. The tax is paid when diners order food at restaurants. Restaurant owners are required to hold those funds in trust, and using them for any other reason would be embezzlement, according to county officials.
Virginia counties have different taxing abilities than cities in the state. Last month, the Manassas City Council announced it would defer the collection of meals taxes, from restaurant owners, until June 20.
Utility fees
The county’s utility department has the authority to delay the collection of fees by changing the due date, officials told us. Changing the due date would ensure that residents don’t get hit with penalties or interest.
Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors is allowed to adopt a resolution that would allow them to delay the collection of real estate personal property taxes for 90 days. If they did so, the due date would be moved from June 5 to September 3, at the latest.
A 90-day extension on tangible personal property, such as business equipment and vehicles, could also be allowed.
Penalties and interest
While the Board of Supervisors can’t just wave the penalties and interest they can vote to lower those fees to zero dollars, or zero percent. Utility fees, Real Estate, and personal property taxes do have a maximum that the county can charge; there is no set minimum that the county is required to collect.
All this is in the developing stages and there are no guarantees that the County would go through with these actions. The fact that they’re looking into these possibilities, however, is a good sign of humanity from local government in trying times.
These options were discussed yesterday, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, during a special work session of the County Board of Supervisors.
