help, personal car property tax question! (Fairfax: apartment complexes, university, living)

[grotkowskim]

Hello, I. Just received bills for tax in fairfax county. I have been living and working down here since 09, but don't have a car of my own. My father put my name on one of his cars and allows me to borrow it from time to time. My dad lives in pa and therefore the car is pa registered. Fairfax county is demanding I pay taxes all the way back from 09 on this car that I only borrow. I have researched the personal property tax and see that if it is parked here "normally" it has to be paid. I just can't understand what "normally" is and how they expect me to pay taxes from all the way back in 2009. My father is willing to switcy the car to va to avoid the plate tax, but I cannot afford to pay all these back taxes. Is there anyway out of this? The payments are crazy high for an 08 chevy malibu that doesn't even reside here year round.

[tgbwc]

For what amount of time is it in the county? About how many days a year?

[spencgr]

What is the reason that your father put his car in your name?

[LetsRock]

How does Fairfax County even know about a car registered in Pennsylvania? Somethiing is missing from this story.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by LetsRock

How does Fairfax County even know about a car registered in Pennsylvania? Somethiing is missing from this story.

Yeah, the key here is to find out how often it's parked on the street in Fairfax County. That's most likely how they found it, since I can't see the county randomly combing other states' databases looking for VA residents.

[HokieFan]

I suspect it was parked in Fairfax County pretty frequently and somone reported it. The County probably searched and discovered how long the OP had been a resident and Bam! there's your tax bill.

I noticed there is a link on the Fairfax County website for reporting tax evaders. It looks like it would take only a few clicks to report someone.

[z28lt1]

Originally Posted by HokieFan

I suspect it was parked in Fairfax County pretty frequently and somone reported it. The County probably searched and discovered how long the OP had been a resident and Bam! there's your tax bill.

I noticed there is a link on the Fairfax County website for reporting tax evaders. It looks like it would take only a few clicks to report someone.

Not sure about Fairfax, but in Loudoun they (at least in the past) they had been checking streets, apartment parking lots, etc. I don't think it necessarily was someone "reporting" it, but could be.

Either way, and I don't mean to be a \Negative Nelly here, but according to the County, the OP should have been paying the taxes all along. Seems like the car was regularly parked here. I don't see how the OP gets out of this. Did they charge a penalty as well?

[tgbwc]

Yeah. If it's parked here, "borrowed" or not, you have to pay the tax.

[saganista]

The Tip lines certainly do get some folks, but public parking lots (malls, Metro stations, etc.) are regularly patrolled by police and security details and nonconforming license plates are noted. If yours shows up over and over and over again, guess what. You're busted.

[LVMYDACH]

When my daughter was going to George Mason University early last year she lived off campus for a short while in an apartment located in Fairfax City. The tax enforcer (older man) for the city patrols (lurks) the streets, apartment complexes looking for vehicles that don't have Fairfax City tax stickers on them. I know this for a fact because he approached me one day outside of my daughters apartment building when I was just visiting - questioning me if I lived there and checking the windshield of my vehicle! I was totally annoyed (nice word I'm using here) that he would go to that extreme to find out if I was getting over on the city by not paying taxes! Tax revenues are becoming so necessary in hard economic times that local area jurisdictions will go to any length to collect!!! Watch out GMU students - the tax enforcer is combing the streets near campus!!