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Eastham charged. He begged the board to make changes in the current assessment structure before June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. “For God’s sake, be reasonable men and try to modify land use taxation so we don’t have our tax base eroded.” He maintained that the county’s large land owners have received a tax break since 1833 and should continue to get that break. But instead of use value taxation, he proposed that the supervisors set “reasonable assessments” on large holdings and then “use the same tax rate for everybody.”
Has It Worked?
Newbill Miller proposed that the supervisors look at the benefits — as well as the costs — of use value taxation. “The basic policy of this governing body has been to preserve the good life, the rural life, low taxes, the friendly feeling the lack of congestion on roads. What you’ve done works.”
“I speak of open space because that’s where our quality of life comes from,” Miller continued. “We have low taxes because our land is in open space and not houses.”
He pointed to Planning District reports which show that Rappahannock has the lowest taxes, the lowest crime rate, the lowest rentals in the five county area. “We have less congestion on our roads, less discipline problems in our schools. What’s wrong with that? he asked.
He acknowledged that farmers benefit from land
88.1%