A question was posed at the James City County budget meeting on April 23rd. Can businesses who have been forced to close be given a tax break since they haven’t been able to make money? The answer from the County Administrator was “No”. In fact, he said, “It’s important for the County to continue to collect property taxes and other type of taxes for the County so that we can continue to provide services for the community. We can’t eliminate the taxes that are due.”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU
If you have a small business that has been forced to close, the best you can hope for is an extension of your tax due date, but the County will graciously offer you a reduced interest rate. While other businesses have been able to make money during this time, the County doesn’t care if yours hasn’t. You still own them a tax on the property and personal equipment used in the pursuit of your business, even though they’ve been sitting idle and unused for six weeks.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT
Pay attention to candidates for local office and vote in fiscally conservative representatives to your Board of Supervisors. Local elections are more important than national elections, yet many people are blissfully ignorant of issues that affect their everyday lives. Email the Board of Supervisors and ask them to extend the tax due date for your business due to the effect of COVID-19 shutdown.
