Fairfax County Car Tax - huge jump

[flipb]

Just received the Fairfax County Excise tax bill.

The assessed value of my 1974 914 2.0 seems to have tripled in the past year. It's assessed at $12,080, for a tax bill of $242.78.

I don't have my prior year bills handy, but I can see the tax amount on the Fairfax County DTA website:
2010: $53.47
2011: $50.73
2012: $63.83
2013: $80.32
2014: $82.49
2015: $242.78 (includes $33 "Registration fee")

The only thing I can think of is that I changed the registration to Antique plates last year... does that trigger a different assessment formula?

Did anybody else see a jump this year?

(Please, don't get into ranting about taxes... I just want to know if others saw strange jumps in assessed value this year!)

[JmuRiz]

Really, mine in Arlington have always been just the sticker price. The only car we pay tax on is the Saab, and that's only 10 or so over the sticker fee...

[BlackTalon]

We saw a big jump in our bill for the wife's compact SUV. Seems the state mush have pared down the 'rebate' on the first 20k of value. I have not opened the bills for the Volvo or Targa yet.

[flipb]

Really, mine in Arlington have always been just the sticker price. The only car we pay tax on is the Saab, and that's only 10 or so over the sticker fee...

Yes, Fairfax has pretty hefty annual excise/property taxes on cars.

Poking around the Fairfax County Tax Dept website, I found that they use NADA Used Car Guide (as of January 1 of the tax year) to determine the assessed value.

So I hopped over there, and discovered that whoever compiles the NADA guide is on crack:

48300

[JmuRiz]

The problem is they base their figures on auction data...and it's always 'off'.
Those prices are insane!
If you need backup, we can estimate the value of your car here or on 914world to give them a real-world number.

[86911TLCAB]

seems NADA is always very high...I bought my daughters 94 325i for 2500 and nada had it listed over 10k...

[Otto]

the '06 boxster s and '08 mdx is less than $800 combined

i figured that since the '12 cayman s is worth about the same, it would be $800-$1000

i was shocked to get a bill for over $1400 and wondering what's going on too

you can contest it, but it seems only on diminished value due to damage / excessive millage or something

what can someone do?

i paid $2200 in sales tax when i got the car early this year

crazy

[ChaosRogue]

Mine jumped quite a bit on the Turbo too. No change in my Xterra or 330 Ci.

[N0tt0N]

Congratulations on your savvy investment! You've been Gentrified!

[racer]

Yup.. apparently the states have learned another way to capture revenue, even though neither you nor they have done anything to accrue that new value.

I imagine, like a house, you could argue for a re-assessment. Sadly though, your car could be in that price/value range (you would want it to be if you were selling, wouldn't you?) . A lot different than if it was a rusting hulk in the yard.. not sure how they put a value on a VIN tag there ;)


Maybe its time to get a 944.. they are still cheap!

[flipb]

you can contest it, but it seems only on diminished value due to damage / excessive millage or something

what can someone do?


Yeah, I was looking up the appeal policies. It seems like you can't really appeal what NADA says, only that your car isn't represented by the NADA data due to mileage, damage, etc.

The $12K assessment I can probably see, though it might be a stretch. But the current NADA values for 914s (see my screenshot above) are just totally detached from reality.

[scott]

I paid a lot less than that in Maryland .... ;)

[Otto]

seems to me the law needs to be 'modified'

i see no reason the state should benefit from perceived collector value

the 'value' used for taxation should not exceed the original msrp of the car when new

if not, not every car can be accounted for properly

if you buy a car, then put gold plated spinners on the thing for $10,000 that is not reflected in the nada appraised value, now is it?

i demand action!

hear me? action!

lol

[vranko]

I paid a lot less than that in Maryland .... ;)

seems to me the law needs to be 'modified'
You can always move to MD ^ ;)

[BlackTalon]

Otto for President!!!!


(heard there will be an opening in January 2017)

[Of Porsche]

Take plates off, don't register, make track car only?? Sucks the way VA counties do this.

[racer]

For the OP, having "antique" tags changes the tax rate: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta/tax_rates.htm

May be worth switching tags if the use vs tax burden is an issue.

In Loudoun county:http://www.loudoun.gov/FAQ.aspx?TID=67 At the current $4.20 rate, the bill is below the county's collection threshold. The result is no tax bill on vehicles 25 years of age or older.

[flipb]

For the OP, having "antique" tags changes the tax rate: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta/tax_rates.htm

[/URL]

THANK YOU!!!

I hadn't noticed that... Antique vehicles fall into the "Special Subclass" which is taxed at $0.01 per $100 of assessed value, rather than the standard rate of $4.57 per $100. That should lower my bill to $12.08 (plus the $33 registration fee?)

Seems as though I just need to inform Fairfax County that I've registered the vehicle as an antique and get the bill adjusted. I'll let everyone know how that turns out.

[vascott99]

OHHHHH SNAP!!!!!!!!!! THANKS for bringing this up...Do let us know....I got hit pretty hard for mine...

[vascott99]

I just went and looked up my tax and they assessed me $2,400. I thought it was just 240 until I looked closer.. I about had a heart attack...I called them to ask why when my car has been registered as Antique for the last 8 years. Apparently I have been overpaying during this whole time...

AND the BONUS is that I will be getting all that money back up until 2012...

[Hunter]

Do any of you register your car in VA as Antique and have a cage and 6 point belts without the 3 point w/ inertial reels in it? Meaning how do you get it past inspection or is it not inspected due to the Antique status?

[Roo]

Ken,
My car is registered as Antique in Va, no state inspection required, no 3 points, cage, and 5-point harness (switching to 6-point when these time out).

[flipb]

I just went and looked up my tax and they assessed me $2,400. I thought it was just 240 until I looked closer.. I about had a heart attack...I called them to ask why when my car has been registered as Antique for the last 8 years. Apparently I have been overpaying during this whole time...

AND the BONUS is that I will be getting all that money back up until 2012...

Just had the same experience... I contacted them, they confirmed the date that I registered it as an antique (2013), and will be refunding me the difference for the past two years' payments. JOY!

For the question above, Virginia has no annual inspection for cars registered as antiques. No annual registration fees, either. Pay once, registered forever. Legally, the car can be impounded if you drive it more than what's allowed under Virginia law (loosely defined as to/from car meets, for mechanical purposes, and occasional joyrides), but I think enforcement is pretty rare.

[Hunter]

Thank you both for the information. My 964 is now 25 years old so could be Antique in VA (DOM 12/89) as a 1990 model. I do not drive it on the street unless there is something appropriate, maintenance, to/from DE or the like.


Hmmm, now the insurance question will come up again.

[Roo]

My insurance was lowered when I registered my car as an Antique (had to call to remind them).

[racer]

Something to consider when avoiding tax money by switching to antique tags is to make sure you have the car insured for a realistic value. 914's aren't $5k and 911's aren't $12k anymore

Read your policy or consider a specialty firm like Hagerty. (Unless its a track car, they don't do track cars for when they are on track). I'm sure there are threads already about this though ;) )

[lspector]

Back to the original issue- a friend of mine contacted them about overvaluing his ZR1, and they admitted that some bills had gone out using 100% of NADA value instead of the 80% that they're supposed to use. He was able to get it corrected via email at
dtappd@fairfaxcounty.gov. Include all the pertinents such as name, address, phone number, VIN, property #, etc

I plan on doing this myself- the assessed value on my GT3 went up by >25k...

[lspector]

Quick update- I emailed the tax office and they admitted that the valuation was incorrect. My assessed valued dropped by $13k and they are processing a refund for the tax difference! Not bad for a single email...

[Otto]

i am thinking that i am being hit on the 100% of appraised value

i need to contact them on this

[Otto]

the sad thing is imagine bow many people are being hit by this and over paying the tax?

[Eric S]

Take plates off, don't register, make track car only??

This approach wouldn't work. Personal property tax is triggered by ownership*, not registration; titling the car establishes ownership and once titled the VA DTA taxes it until you move or no longer own it.

* Ownership, storage location...

[Eric S]

Back to the original issue- a friend of mine contacted them about overvaluing his ZR1, and they admitted that some bills had gone out using 100% of NADA value instead of the 80% that they're supposed to use. He was able to get it corrected via email at dtappd@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Thank you for the info and email address. Where did you find that cars were to be assessed at 80% of NADA? On the DTA website I only found Eastern Edition NADA "clean trade-in value" for used cars and "a percentage for new cars...using the MSRP base value".

[antonioconceicao]

I have been using progressive for all my cars with antique plates

Being a antique car you set the value yourself of the policy


https://www.progressive.com/collector-car-insurance/collector-car/









Thank you both for the information. My 964 is now 25 years old so could be Antique in VA (DOM 12/89) as a 1990 model. I do not drive it on the street unless there is something appropriate, maintenance, to/from DE or the like.


Hmmm, now the insurance question will come up again.

[Hunter]

I have been using progressive for all my cars with antique plates

Being a antique car you set the value yourself of the policy


https://www.progressive.com/collector-car-insurance/collector-car/

Do they know it has a cage?

[Lupin..the..3rd]

I have been using progressive for all my cars with antique plates

Being a antique car you set the value yourself of the policy

https://www.progressive.com/collector-car-insurance/collector-car/

The progressive site says: "With Progressive AdvantageSM Classic Car Insurance, powered by Hagerty®, you get specialized protection at a reasonable price. And it's from a provider you can trust—Hagerty is the world's leader for classic car insurance"

Is there an advantage to using Progressive as a middle man vs. going directly through Hagerty?

[lspector]

Thank you for the info and email address. Where did you find that cars were to be assessed at 80% of NADA? On the DTA website I only found Eastern Edition NADA "clean trade-in value" for used cars and "a percentage for new cars...using the MSRP base value".

The assessment rate was spelled out in the email response I got from DTA. They said: "...it should have been valued at 80% percent of the clean trade in value in the NADA guide."

[slbates]

I feel your pain. I just got my tax bill and my 04 GT3 taxes went up 203% this year after being at a steady state for the past 5 years. There is no way the car is worth more than $65k...

Looks like the County has a budget shortfall to make up.

[Hchan911]

Currently, I lived in Fairfax county, just got my car tax bill (2016) for my 1991 911 C2 turbo, and was blowing away when the county assessed my car for $112000 this year and the amount of tax I have to pay is $4700 compared to $932 in (2015). The question is who do I need to contact, what do I have to do for them to lower my assessment tax bill? Any help would be appreciated!

[catron1]

I had to pay all of the tax up front to my 2011 m3 to DC for the full value. I just moved to Arlington and they just hit me for $1,200.00 for just 2016, Its ridicules......It really pisses you off

[BlackTalon]

Currently, I lived in Fairfax county, just got my car tax bill (2016) for my 1991 911 C2 turbo, and was blowing away when the county assessed my car for $112000 this year and the amount of tax I have to pay is $4700 compared to $932 in (2015). The question is who do I need to contact, what do I have to do for them to lower my assessment tax bill? Any help would be appreciated!Isn't there info on the bill they sent you? You will need to get an appraisal and go challenge the assessment.

[vascott99]

Currently, I lived in Fairfax county, just got my car tax bill (2016) for my 1991 911 C2 turbo, and was blowing away when the county assessed my car for $112000 this year and the amount of tax I have to pay is $4700 compared to $932 in (2015). The question is who do I need to contact, what do I have to do for them to lower my assessment tax bill? Any help would be appreciated!

It is 25 years old, go Antique.. 1x pay and no more taxes..down side you can not use it daily, limited to 250 miles from your home and some other little rules. Mine has been antique for 10 years. The county screwed up and had been charging me for years which I did not know. Called them and got 5 years worth back.

Other than that get it appraised and submit it at that value. Only problem is your car is well sought after hence the raised value. I think they use NADA now...The curse of owning a beautiful Turbo..

[BlackTalon]

Wow, Fairfax county works different then Alexandria. Historic plates only means no safety/ emissions inspections, but the car still gets assessed and taxed annually.

[Hchan911]

It is 25 years old, go Antique.. 1x pay and no more taxes..down side you can not use it daily, limited to 250 miles from your home and some other little rules. Mine has been antique for 10 years. The county screwed up and had been charging me for years which I did not know. Called them and got 5 years worth back.

Other than that get it appraised and submit it at that value. Only problem is your car is well sought after hence the raised value. I think they use NADA now...The curse of owning a beautiful Turbo..

Thank you! I will get an Antique plate when mine is eligible on Jan-1-2017.
I think the NADA is just a source that give you a general idea, all cars are not the same conditions and just BS and not fair when apply to the owners. They must smoke something really good.

[chillindrdude]

makes me wanna do a montana LLC.

this is frankly, a money grab.

[edevinney]

That'll only work if you garage the cars out of state...

[BlackTalon]

Actually, frankly, it is all part of the overall tax package. Want less/ no personal property tax? Well, that will mean a higher state income tax or sales tax.

Yeah, it makes it suck to consider springing for that $100k car, as you'll be paying $4,500+/ yr in personal property taxes.

[Richard Curtis]

Pl let us know if the appeals process works.

[Chopper Dropper]

Actually, frankly, it is all part of the overall tax package. Want less/ no personal property tax? Well, that will mean a higher state income tax or sales tax.

Yeah, it makes it suck to consider springing for that $100k car, as you'll be paying $4,500+/ yr in personal property taxes.

Damn, I don't pay half of that here in Real Estate taxes!! Plus no personal property taxes and no emmisons tests
Dirk

[BlackTalon]

and don't forget, hardly any need to have paid state income taxes the last few years, either

[Jazzbass]

Damn, I don't pay half of that here in Real Estate taxes!! Plus no personal property taxes and no emmisons tests
Dirk
Yeah - move to MoCo and see if you still say the same thing :lol:

[DonNewton]

Ha, Ha, Ha. . . Pikers. Come to California and see what you pay. Lots of neighbors have recently moved to Missouri.

[tdatk]

Only sales tax here in Tennessee. 7 to 9%. I'll gladly pay that over all the state,city, pp taxes In Va.

[Chopper Dropper]

Yeah - move to MoCo and see if you still say the same thing :lol:

No thanks, quite happy here on the shore, less than 5 minute commute to office, plenty of good waterfront bars and other restaurants, Waterfowl Festival, Avalon Theatre, just over an hour to the beaches and plenty of boating, sailing, crabbing oystering minutes away. 2.5 hours or so to Summit Point is the only downside I see!!!!!!
Dirk

[vascott99]

Imagine the tax this person would have to pay..WOW granted that's a bit inflated

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/news/a30706/this-porsche-911-gt2-tho/