The Fairfax County government in Northern Virginia is encouraging its residents to report their neighbors for possible tax evasion.
On Friday, the Fairfax County website posted a guide on how good citizens can report their friends and family for potentially evading the car tax.
The website reminds residents to register their vehicle with both the Fairfax County government and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles in order to receive their yearly car tax bill.
“However, not everyone registers their new vehicles, especially some people who have moved here from another state or purchased their vehicle elsewhere,” the website states.
Therefore, Fairfax County boasts about its “easy form” that people can use to “send tips on vehicles with out of state plates that may be not be registered in Fairfax County.”
Fairfax County notes, however, that some of its residents aren’t actually evading taxes if they don’t have updated licenses plates. Full-time college students, military personnel, diplomats, people with government license plates, and, astonishingly, random people visiting their friends are not required to get new license plates and pay a car tax.
Under this “Target Program,” busybodies can check the statuses of the cars they report. They’ll be able to see whether the car is under investigation, already assessed, registered in another part of Virginia, a rental, or owned by someone who doesn’t need to update their license plate.
According to the Fairfax County website, bureaucrats will determine a car’s status through a “variety of sources,” including sending police officers to scope out the scene.
The Department of Tax Administration’s Juan Rengel said his office is partnering with the Office of the Sheriff and the Fairfax County Police Department to assist personnel with “going out to the field doing a drive by to spot the vehicles.”
Violators of the Fairfax County car tax will receive a tax bill including an additional $100 No Plate Tax, a $250 penalty, and interest.
Nearby Prince William County also has a tax evader reporting system for people who may be evading its personal property tax.