Politics ·
York County May Reassess Lunch Like Homes if Tax Vote Fails
** Officials reassure residents that rejecting a tax increase doesn't necessarily mean paying less.**
YORK COUNTY, VA: With voters preparing to decide on another 1% sales tax, York County officials remain confident that while residents can reject higher tax rates, they have considerably less control over how much the county collects from them.
The county has already mastered increasing property tax revenue without raising the rate. By reassessing homes at higher values, officials collect more while proudly announcing that tax rates haven't changed. It's financial innovation that would make a used-car salesman blush.
"The beauty of reassessments is that we don't have to do anything," explained county revenue strategist Bill Moore. "Your house is the same, your paycheck is the same, and your neighborhood still has the same potholes. But congratulations, you're now paying us more."
And the benefits don't stop there. Higher property taxes and operating costs can push businesses to raise prices, generating even more sales tax revenue.
"The county collects more when property values rise, more when businesses raise prices to cover their costs, and more when customers pay those higher prices. At no point in the process is anyone required to become better at anything," Moore explained.
"Every private business in America is trying to figure out how to earn another dollar. York County is trying to figure out how many times it can collect one."
During a brainstorming session, one supervisor jokingly suggested reassessing restaurant meals. The laughter quickly turned into an enthusiastic discussion about the untapped revenue potential of cheeseburgers.
"A resident might believe their cheeseburger is worth $14," Moore explained. "But comparable cheeseburgers in Williamsburg and James City County suggest a fair market value of $23.50. The restaurant still gets $14. We simply collect taxes on the other $9.50."
The county encourages everyone to participate in the upcoming referendum, reminding residents that democracy gives them a voice in how they're taxed, just not how MUCH they're taxed.