IDENTIFY YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
State Delegate, State Senator, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senators
Fairfax County Magisterial District
Note:  The magisterial district link is slow and the form is hard to understand.  Your street number, street name, street type (Road, Lane, Court, etc.) all go in separate boxes.  Once you identify your magisterial district go to the Board of Supervisors and School Board pages to identify your supervisor and school board representative. 
HANDOUTS
Handout:  Repeal the Transportation Tax Hike (pdf)  This handout was distributed at the Virginia Republican State Convention, May 17-18, 2013.
Handout:  Federal Budget: Unsustainable Entitlements  (pdf)
Handout:  Virginia:  Out-of-Control Spending (pdf)
Handout:  Fairfax County:  Residential Real Estate Taxes Increasing 116 Percent since 2000 (pdf)
BULLETINS AND REPORTS
Fred Costello Report 093:  Is an Increase in the Real Estate Tax Rate Affordable?
FCTA 2013 Winter Bulletin - Sharon Bulova misleads taxpayers?
FCTA 2012 Fall Bulletin - America's path to bankruptcy
Fairfax County Real Estate Taxes Increasing More Than Twice as Fast as Inflation
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors increased real estate taxes 100% (from $2400 to $4800) between 2000 and 2007.  This year the supervisors increased real estate taxes by 1.9 percent ($93 for the typical homeowner).  Next year the supervisors want to increase taxes another 5.4 percent ($266).   Compared to 2000, this is a cumulative increase of 116 percent and gives the supervisors an extra $1,190 million (nearly $1.2 billion) in revenues.  Most of the extra $1.2 billion is not spent to improve county services but to subsidize the soaring cost of school and county pensions, zero-deductible medical insurance, and raises.

Each year, hundreds of advocates for higher taxes testify at the Board of Supervisors budget hearings, generally held in late March or early April.  Speakers for higher taxes greatly outnumber advocates for lower taxes.
YOU CAN CHANGE THAT!
The Taxpayer Alliance every year sponsors a rally on the first night of the budget hearings, at 6. p.m. in front of the Government Center.  Attend next year's rally, which will be announced on this site.  Also, write (do not call or email) your supervisor to ask for lower taxes.  Go to "Identify your elected representatives" section above to identify your supervisor.
Fairfax County transportation projects totaling $8.1 billion over ten years.  This file was provided by the Fairfax County Director of Public Affairs.  It is not posted on the Fairfax County website.
Excel spreadsheet prepared by the FCTA based on the above file.  The county refused to provide the above file in spreadsheet format.
County Chairman Sharon Bulova wants to increase taxes $300 million per year to finance these projects.  This was not mentioned during the last Board of Supervisors election.
While Taxes Are Increasing, Student Achievement in Fairfax County Public Schools is Stagnant (Except for Asians)
 (Half of Fairfax County annual tax revenues are transferred to the Fairfax County Public Schools.)

Fairfax County Public Schools 2010 ACT College Admissions Test Results


Virginia:  No Tax Hike Needed for Transportation
Virginia has plenty of money for transportation, without additional tax hikes.

Between FY2000 and FY2012, the Virginia budget (General Fund + Non-General Fund) increased by $21 billion, from $22 billion to $42.7 billion, a 94 percent increase.  Over the same period Virginia population increased by only 15 percent, from 7.1 million to 8.2 million.

Of the $21-billion increase:
  •  $2 billion went to transportation, which increased 73 percent, from $2.8 billion to $4.8 billion
  • $6.4 billion went to education, which increased 84 percent, from $7.1 billion to $13.5 billion.
  • $7.1 billion went to Individual and Family Services (includes Medicaid), which increased 112 percent, from $6.4 billion to $13.5 billion.
These three items account for $15 billion of the $21 billion increase.  The numbers above come from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) Review of State Spending: 2007 Update, Review of State Spending: 2012 Update (see especially page 39 of the latter), and the Commonwealth Datapoint website.  (There is a small inconsistency between JLARC and Commonwealth Datapoint numbers.)  Spending is not adjusted for inflation, which is appropriate because private-sector wages are not keeping up with inflation.

How carefully have the General Assembly and the Governor managed these disproportionate increases in education and Medicaid spending?

According to the ACT college admissions test 2012 Profile Report for Virginia, of the 21,647 Virginia students tested, only 33 percent were prepared for college (p. 7).  Of that sample, while 40 percent of white students were prepared for college, only 7 percent of African-American students were prepared, showing the state's neglect of minority student achievement (p. 22).

Despite being the largest and fastest-growing item in the Virginia budget, Medicaid is broken.  The waiting list for Medicaid waivers, so disadvantaged persons can be cared for at home instead of institutions, has over 7000 names.  For those lucky enough to get a waiver, the reimbursement rates are too low to retain caregivers.  Reimbursement rates for doctors are low, making it difficult to find doctors accepting Medicaid.  Fraud is a problem.  Medicaid promotes dependency instead of self-sufficiency, and where charity is needed private charity is more efficient than charities run by politicians.

New taxes reward and subsidize the General Assembly's and Governor's failure to rein in out-of-control spending on education and Medicaid, programs that are not meeting their goals.   Rather than raise taxes, elected officials should better manage the revenue they have.

Arthur Purves
President
Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance
purves@fcta.org
2/21/13
Federal:  Entitlement Spending Leading to Federal Government Bankruptcy
Obama's Path to Bankruptcy:  This is the Obama administration's projection of the federal debt.  It assumes "tax hikes for the rich," predicted savings from "Obamacare," and the end of the war in Afghanistan.  Yet, the Treasury Department's Citizen's Guide to the 2011 Financial Report of the U.S. Government states (p. xii) states, "The continuous rise of the debt-to-GDP ratio illustrates that current policy is unsustainable" (emphasis added).
Evolution of the Nanny State:  In 1960 defense was 55 percent of federal outlays and entitlements were 26 percent .  By 2011 defense was 20 percent of outlays and entitlements, including education, were 64 percent.
The President's FY2013 budget projected $3.8 trillion in outlays and $2.9 trillion in revenues, leaving nearly a $1 trillion deficit.  To eliminate the deficit without eliminating defense requires significant cuts to entitlements.
As a condition to raising the debt limit last year, Tea Party congressmen required cutting the annual federal budget (about $4 trillion) by $100 billion.  This is only a three percent cut.  However, the resulting agreement, called the Budget Control Act of 2011, or "sequestration", imposes a disproportionate share of cuts on defense while sparing entitlements.
New Here?  What can I do or how do I get involved?
FCTA members are concerned citizens like yourself.  Join us for a meeting, volunteer to keep our our local and state government accountable, help analyze government spending, and speak out about government waste!

FCTA Recommended Events


 

FCTA News Feed

  • Fairfax County subsidizes the rest of Virginia Charles R. and Linda L. McAndrew12808 Willow Glen CourtOak Hill, VA 20171February 9, 2012Delegate Jim LeMunyon910 Capitol SquareRichmond, VA. 23219Subject: Fairfax County fails ...
    Posted Feb 11, 2012, 3:07 PM by Arthur Purves
  • Cut taxes by $1500. Don't raise them by $300. Remarks to the Fairfax County School Board Budget Hearing - January 30, 2012 By Arthur G. Purves (purves@fcta.org) President, Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance Dr. Dale and Members of the ...
    Posted Feb 5, 2012, 6:26 AM by Arthur Purves
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  • VRS Pension Changes from WSJ Article Source:  Wall Street JournalEver-Higher Budgets Can't Be the NormBy Bob McDonnellWhen I took office in January, we faced two massive budget shortfalls. The first was ...
    Posted Oct 13, 2010, 10:41 AM by Alexander Romero
  • Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on Tuesday formally opposed letting local governments force police, teachers and other workers to foot part of the bill for their own pensions Source: Washington Examiner 14 April 2010Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on Tuesday formally opposed letting local governments force police, teachers and other workers to foot part of the bill for ...
    Posted Apr 22, 2010, 12:34 PM by Alexander Romero
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