The Unfair BPOL Tax

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

April 14, 2014

Part-time citizens have opinions, full-time citizens are engaged participants in governmental decisions. This was paraphrased from comments at the LEAD VIRGINIA Class of 2014 Opening Session Luncheon in Williamsburg last week.

The Business Monday Column from last Monday met a small amount of criticism from candidates for Town Council who will face the ballot box on May 6, 2014. Though the facts were accurate, the response from a few of the candidates suggested that these comments should not have been expressed publicly. On the other hand, every business person with whom I spoke about the comments was appreciative that the subject of the unfair BPOL tax was addressed.

It appeared that all of the candidates in the Candidates Forum on April 9th conceded that the BPOL tax is an unfair tax. If the tax is clearly unfair, then why are we still talking about it and not taking action? Why was it not on the radar for reductions for the last budget and again for the 2015 budget. One candidate suggested that bringing public attention to the issue has damaged the possibility of addressing the issue. How could it be damaged more? Nothing was being done about it to begin with.

A Town Council candidate suggested that the town can only give a 5% reduction in BPOL this year because the town needs more reserves. With an average of 8% increases in the budget for the past 4 years, when will the town begin to reduce spending and gain the reserves from savings and not through unfair taxes? Why do the businesses need to find the money year after year to pay an admitted unfair BPOL tax based on gross receipts while this issue goes unresolved?

Sometimes candidates prefer that part-time citizens passively express an opinion. However, character, purpose, and resolve are at the foundation of engaged citizens. It is time for the issue of unfair BPOL tax to be resolved with a commitment for a specific, gradual, planned elimination of the tax. Why not begin now with a 2015 budgeted BPOL tax reduction of 20%?