Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Free tax help available in Annandale

Need help with your taxes? If you earn less than $54,000 a year, you qualify for free tax preparation assistance under an Internal Revenue Service program operated locally by the Northern Virginia Coalition for Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (NVACASH). Free tax clinics have been set up across the region, including the SkillSource Center at … Continued

Bleak funding outlook presented at Budget Town Hall

Fairfax County’s financial situation remains stagnant, as cost pressures rise, revenue isn’t expected to increase much, and there aren’t any new funding sources available. That’s the bleak picture of the FY 2018 advertised budget presented by County Executive Ed Long at a Town Hall hosted by Mason Supervisor Penny Gross March 9. The county’s needs are greater … Continued

Volunteers help lower-income residents file taxes

AARP Volunteers provide tax assistance. [AARP Foundation] Need help filing your income tax forms? Volunteers with the AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide program are providing free walk-in tax assistance to low to moderate-income people at the Mason Government Center Tax Aide volunteers will be there 1-8 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays; 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and … Continued

Home assessments are up 1.3 percent in Annandale

Real estate assessments rose an average of 0.68 percent from 2016 to 2017 for residential homes in Fairfax County. The average home is assessed at $533,168. Residential assessments in Annandale rose an average of 1.32 percent, the second highest increase of any area except Burke. The average home value in Annandale is $451,164. The biggest … Continued

Lawmakers, residents call for more regulations on short-term rentals

Panelists discuss the Airbnb law (from the left): Mason Hills Citizens Association President Mike Rioux, code compliance official Elizabeth Perry, zoning administrator Leslie Johnson, Del. Kaye Kory, and Sen. Dick Saslaw,  Local residents who attended a meeting on short-term rentals Oct. 5 raised concerns about homeowners filling up their homes with transients, leading to declining … Continued

Meals tax debated at public forum

A forum on the meals tax featured (from the left) supporters Phil Niedzielski-Eichner and Pat Hynes and opponents Pat Herrity, and Jon Norton. At a forum on a Fairfax County meals tax, supporters of the referendum argued the extra revenue is needed to maintain a high-quality school system, while opponents said they preferred spending cuts.    The … Continued

Sales tax holiday this weekend

Planning on a shopping spree? This weekend would be a good time to do it. Aug. 5-7 is Virginia’s “sales tax holiday.” You can buy school supplies, back-to-school clothes, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and appliances without paying the state sales tax.  Eligible items listed on the Virginia Department of Taxation website include: School supplies, … Continued