virginia question?

[keryx]

She called me (from Maryland) this evening to say she saw something about how Virginians have to pay their personal property (car) tax basically tomorrow or it was going to quadruple or something.

My thought is that surely the county would have said anything at all, or even have sent me an assessment of what I owed by now if this were the case. And surely the DMV, or any local news organization's website would have some information. Right? I got nothing.

So I turn to LJ as usual. Anyone have the remotest idea what my mother is talking about?

Comments

[cutegaychick.livejournal.com]

Hey, your mom is right, kind of. IF you didn't pay your bill on time, you should do it NOW. If you're up to date, you're just gonna get screwed.

It's because the car tax relief got frozen and the freeze takes effect Jan. 1. So like, in Richmond, we get billed in April. If you paid your bill on time, the state paid 70 percent of the bill. If you ignored the bill, as of Jan. 1, the state is no longer gonna pick up that 70 percent so when the city catches up with you, you're probably gonna owe the whole thing (could vary by locality)

Now that's going to apply to everyone in the coming year anyway -- when the city bills in April, we're gonna owe the whole thing (unless the General Assembly changes something, which is a real possibility). But since you can't advance pay, it's not like you can send in your 2006 car tax money now and get the state subsidy. We're just screwed in the new year.

I don't know how much sense that made. There's a story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10645032/ that doesn't make much more sense. Virginia Car tax is complicated and difficult and varies by locality so it's hard to follow.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Ah, that makes more sense. So, the short story is we're screwed next year.

[cyprinella]

That...is really not cool. This whole car tax thing is baffling enough to me (I already paid for it, damnit!) but now it's going to quadruple? I'm so screwed next year.

[cutegaychick.livejournal.com]

Your locality may opt to pick up the difference. Some places will, although most probably can't afford to. Cross your fingers though -- a lot of the legislators want to start the car tax relief back up again so it could be reinstated by the time you get your bill.