Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance

05/05/2026

In August 2025, Fairfax County Public Schools purchased a new high school for $150 million. In 2015, when the county’s leaders anticipated that a new high school would be necessary, student enrollment was about 186,800. Ten years later, the district’s enrollment was 177,007 and slated to be 165,325 in 2030. And now, the district’s leaders are having a hard time filling desks at Skyview High School, scheduled to open its doors this fall.

In August 2025, Fairfax County Public Schools purchased the former King Abdullah Academy in the western part of the county for $150 million.

04/24/2026

Calls for significant tax cuts for everyone to improve quality of life and affordability and give a boost to small businesses and restaurants and the Fairfax County economy. Calls them out for “total lack of accountability and responsiveness to county taxpayers in regard to questions about budget expenditures and spending.” Request they publish a simplified citizen’s budget showing clearly how every dollar is spent. Calls them out for Political Agenda, increasing spending and unwillingness to do a deep dive on the budget. Please read entire article linked below for more details.

Fairfax County recently sought public feedback on its proposed FY 2027 budget, drawing criticism from many residents.

04/20/2026

Fairfax County has not had an Outside Review Deep Dive Audit in well over 3 years and FCPS 10 years. Please consider emailing the info below to [email protected]

Call for an Immediate Outside Review and a Deep Dive Budget and Capital Improvement Plan to identify Savings and Efficiencies.

Millions of Dollars in the Red Annually when it's time to balance the Budget. What do we get? a Fake Balanced Budget and a Real Tax Hike for all the Taxpayers.

You say that you balance the budget as required by the State of Virginia Annually, if it was indeed balanced it, why is there an Annual Tax Hike to pay for your Inexcusable Deficit?

Where is the Outside Review Results from the Deep Dive Budget and the Capital Improvement Plan? What are you hiding? What are you afraid of?

It was rejected in 2024, 2025 and now in 2026? What are we doing with all the Taxpayers Money and where exactly is it going?

The Taxpayers have a right to know Now before any more Tax Hikes.

The taxpayers have to make the hard choices when they receive the high tax hikes. The Board of Supervisors and FCPS need to be held accountable for all of them.

Pat Herrity Email Reports April 17 2026 - The budget still includes millions of dollars to support the Board’s political agendas of collective bargaining, Zero Waste, Net Zero and CECAP. The budget includes new spending of $140M funded by the 4% tax real estate tax and over $130M in spending covered by the new meals tax. So much for the promised reduction in real estate taxes. However, my biggest frustration yet again is the Board’s unwillingness to commit to do a deep dive on the budget as other Boards have done.

May 7 2025 Even with a reduced real estate tax rate of $1.22 per $100 of assessed value, next year the average homeowner will still see an approximately 6 percent ($499) increase in taxes due to the increase in assessments in addition to the impact of the meals tax and numerous fee increases. This is on top of a 60 percent increase in real estate taxes over the last 10 years. The Board also approved Budget Guidance for the FY 2027 Budget which I opposed because it again excluded my call for an outside review or deep dive on the budget, the Capital Improvement Plan, and Third Quarter Review

May 14 2024 More disappointing than the fact that the Board did not come up with any funding reductions, was that they refused to even consider my proposal to do a deep dive on the budget to identify savings and efficiencies. To add insult to injury, the Board approved budget guidance that indicates the Board’s solution to the growing tax burden for residents is “broader taxing authority…to diversify our revenue base” with no mention of reducing the actual tax burden on residents.

04/18/2026

Rachna Sizemore Heizer Braddock District Supervisor was very close by The FCTA yellow Canopy for a video opening early on at the Burke VA Farm Market. I approached her as her video ended, introduced myself and told her about our plan to improve the quality of life and make Fairfax County Affordable for everyone, and that it's never been done. She was interested in having a meeting with me, I will call to schedule it. There was passionate interaction with a good number of people at today's market. Our yellow canopy will be appearing at all Fairfax County district farm markets periodically throughout the season and at some festivals and other events.

04/17/2026

Lowering the Fairfax County real estate tax rate from the current $1.1225 by 4 cents to $1.08 would prevent a tax hike from the 3.99% average increase in residential assessments. The supervisors will probably make their decision on the tax rate by April 24.

04/15/2026

The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce just released a survey of 210 NoVa CEOs. Their top priority for local government is to reduce taxes. https://nvcbusiness.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-Q1-Business-Leader-Survey-Report.pdf

04/15/2026

"Make Fairfax County Affordable" FCTA hosted Tax Rally outside the Government Center on April 14th. Arthur Purves President FCTA featured Set the Rate at 1.08, Tom Cranmer - Real Estate Assessments and Taxes, Waria Salhi - Impact of Taxes on Restaurants and Families, Randy Hauck - Make Fairfax County Affordable, Stephanie Lundquist-Arora - FCPS Bloats District Administration at Teachers and Students Expense and Extensive Legal Fees, Garry A. Scutt - Fairfax County needs Fairfax Office of Government Efficiency. The event was recorded and will be posted on Social Media sites. Please consider volunteering to best utilize your talents to make a difference.

We need to improve Affordability and Quality of Life by significantly cutting taxes for everyone in Fairfax County. Instead of raising government and FCPS and other related salaries. For Just Once significantly cut everyone's taxes. This would restore family budgets, enable everyone to make improvements to their vehicles and homes, to better care for themselves and their families, and improve the Quality of Life for everyone. This would also make a positive difference on Restaurants and small businesses and cause a boom in the Fairfax County economy, the likes of which we have not seen in many, many years. Instead of people currently leaving Fairfax County in droves, it would help to attract people, families and businesses to Fairfax County. Photo compliments of Dave Crance.

04/15/2026

Arthur Purves, FCTA President, addressing the Board of Supervisors Budget Hearing at the Government Center. To prevent a tax increase due to a 4% increase in residential assessments, the supervisors must set next years rate at $1.08 instead of continuing the current tax rate of $1.1225!

To express your views on next year's taxes, the supervisors invite you to email:
[email protected] or phone: 703-890-5898 and enter code 6733.

04/13/2026

The meals tax costs the average Fairfax County household $206. Anticipated meals tax revenue is $136 million in FY2927. The county estimates that 66% or $90 million of that will be paid by county residents. There are about 435,000 households. That comes out to $206 per household. You can add that to the average $47 increase in the car tax and the $10 increase in the stormwater tax and the $357 increase in the real estate tax, assuming they don't change the tax rate, and the average homeowner will be seeing a $620 increase in county taxes this year.

The county added 21 positions to administer the meals tax.

(On 4/17, based on an email from the Dept. of Management and Budget, the percent paid by residents was lowered from 72% to 66%. That reduced the cost per household from $225 to $206.)

04/13/2026

Join the April 14th 3pm Tax Rally at the Fairfax County Government Center, the movement to Set Your Rate at 1.08 and reduce your taxes. This year’s Rally will feature speakers who will focus on Tax related issues and government inefficiencies that negatively impact Taxpayers, Homeowners, Families, Small Businesses, and Communities that have a major impact on the declining state of the Fairfax County Economy.

The Rally is just prior to the Board of Supervisors Budget Hearing that begins at 4:00 p.m. and runs thru Thursday April 16th and is open for everyone to attend.

This Rally will be videotaped and posted on social media for the benefit for the benefit of taxpayers who are not able to make it and working diligently to pay their taxes and care for their families.

This years Tax Rally flyer had over 40 thousand views on Social media sites.

The first 100 participants to show up at the Rally
will receive a free yellow "Stop Raising Taxes" T-shirt.

This Rally is hosted by the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, the independent voice of the Taxpayer.
FCTA.ORG