What's Wrong with Fairfax County
The Problem: Taxes Rising 3x Faster than Household Income
Since 2000, Fairfax County real estate taxes have increased 281%
-- three times faster than inflation (90%) and nearly four times
faster than household income (78%). The average annual tax bill
has gone from $2,123 to $10,031. Residents are leaving.
Why They're Rising: Raises and Benefits Drive Tax Hikes
Raises and benefit rate hikes for 40,000 county and school employees
account for 96 cents of every new tax dollar collected. Not roads.
Not schools. Not public safety. A structural spending problem that
compounds every year.
What We Get: School SAT Drops and Closed Buildings
Half of all county taxes fund FCPS. Hundreds of millions more pay
for county services. In return: declining academic performance,
a closed government building, a road project a million dollars
over budget, and a public health department ignoring the county's
biggest health crisis.
The Solution: Cut Tax Rates and Freeze Salaries
FCTA's four concrete demands to the Board of Supervisors:
lower the FY2027 tax rate to $1.08, put the proposed rate on
assessment notices, freeze county salaries until averages are
published, and freeze school salaries until SAT scores recover.