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From:     Chairman Email 
To:       [FCTA president Arthur Purves]
Sent:     Tuesday, April 29, 2014 11:08 AM
Subject:  Fairfax County Meals Tax Referendum Task Force

Dear Mr. Purves:

I am writing to invite you or a representative of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance to participate in a task force to consider a Meals Tax referendum.

Fairfax County does not have a meals tax. The governing bodies for cities and towns in Virginia have the authority to enact a meals tax but counties, like Fairfax County, can only establish a meals tax if a referendum is approved by voters. The task force will review the benefits and drawbacks associated with a meals tax and your perspective would be very helpful.

As you may have heard, during the development of several recent budgets there has been a growing sentiment that the Board of Supervisors should allow voters to decide whether to enact a meals tax. A meals tax would diversify the County's revenue stream and could be made available to fund schools, public safety, parks, human services, libraries or a combination of services. If a meals tax were adopted at the state-approved rate of 4% of the cost of a restaurant meal, it would generate about $88 million annually.

The task force will consider and prepare a report to the Board of Supervisors to evaluate:

• Whether or not to proceed with a referendum for a meals tax;
• If the Board proceeds with a referendum, when the question should be put to the voters;
• If a referendum will be considered, should it address how the revenue could be used -- and if so, how.

I have asked former Board Chairmen Kate Hanley and Tom Davis to co-chair this task force and they have both accepted. I hope you will as well. The first task force meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 PM in Conference Room 232 at the Fairfax County Government Center. This task force will meet on an aggressive schedule and complete its report to the Board of Supervisors by June 17.

Please RSVP to my aide, Mark Thomas, at 703-324-2321 or mark.thomas@fairfaxcounty.gov. If you have any questions, please let me know. I look forward to seeing you at the first task force meeting.

Sincerely,

Sharon Bulova