Prince William County has tossed its auto decal on the scrap heap, though residents still must pay an annual $24 car tax.
Assistant Finance Director Steve Ferlotti estimated that the county would save about $135,000 in production and mailing costs by eliminating the decal, which had been required for vehicles in the county. The county would lose an estimated $105,000 in revenue from fines collected for not displaying the decal.
The county does not expect any significant effect on general tax revenue from scrapping the decal, as its $24 vehicle license tax for cars and trucks will still be collected with the personal property tax. Owners of motorcycles pay a $12 annual tax.
However, Finance Director Christopher Martino warned in a memo to the Board of Supervisors that the fee’s elimination would lead to some vehicles not being registered.
“For example, new residents moving into Prince William may not immediately register their vehicles with the Tax Administration Office without the decal as a reminder,” he wrote. “To the extent these same individuals change their address with [the Department of Motor Vehicles], we will get the information electronically, but reliance on such a system may result in more taxpayers being ‘back-billed’ for prior periods.”
The county’s public works staff also use the car decal to determine residency at the county landfill, which is intended for residents only. Ferlotti said the county might have to issue a landfill decal, provide electronic access to records at the gate or do spot checks to streamline residency checks at the landfill.
County Executive Craig Gerhart, though, said it was unlikely that people from other counties would come to the landfill with cars full of trash to dump.
About half of Virginia jurisdictions have stopped issuing decals, Ferlotti said. Fairfax County scrapped the $25 decal fee in 2006, though the county did consider bringing it back during budget discussions this year.
Other major cities and jurisdictions in the state that have stopped issuing decals — and have continued to collect a vehicle license tax — include Spotsylvania, Stafford and Fauquier counties, as well as the cities of Richmond, Hampton and Charlottesville.
