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Finance Subcommittee #2

Tuesday, January 27, 2026·2h 17m·▶ Watch / Listen

Finance Subcommittee #2 advanced several local taxation bills, including measures on admissions tax parity for James City County and York County, nonprofit affordable housing property tax relief, and personal property tax valuation — while defeating a BPOL exemption for oncology clinics (3-7) and a BPOL deduction for multistate businesses taxed on gross receipts in other states (4-6), and continuing a real property assessment notice bill to 2027.

Key Actions

·HB 550 – Admissions Tax for James City County and York CountyNo Vote

+ 7 more actions

Controversies

HB 956 – Whether $60 million revenue loss from BPOL deduction is manageable and who bears the administrative burden

Kim Klingler (Commissioners of Revenue Association of Virginia) and Katie Boyle (VACo) argued the bill would cause more than $60 million in annual losses to localities, benefit only 0.5% of businesses, and impose an administrative nightmare — with Klingler noting that even well-resourced Arlington County takes up to three years to audit multistate businesses. Madam Uber Chair Watts countered that the $60 million is 'the possible top of the loss,' that failing to act could cause the loss to grow, and that the administrative burden falls on the Department of Taxation, not individual jurisdictions.

+ 4 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“Our office spends greater than 83% of all revenue that we receive to repurchase chemotherapy and increasingly expensive cancer treatments. These have steadily gone up. There is no end in sight, and our community deserves great care with these treatments. The B poll tax is uncapped on this revenue, not profit. And a huge tax bill on essentially phantom income for us. For instance, in 2025, our tax bill was a little shy of $289,000, which is just a huge tax bill for a local community office.”

Dr. Matthew Whitehurst, oncologist, testifying in support of HB 1199 — Whitehurst testified in support of HB 1199, which would have allowed localities to exempt businesses regulated by the Department of Health Professions from the BPOL gross receipts tax — a tax he argued hits oncology clinics on pass-through drug costs rather than profit.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Motion to report HB 1199 (BPOL exemption for health professions businesses)Failed
Motion to report HB 956 (BPOL deduction for gross receipts taxes paid to other states)Failed
Motion to report HB 550 (admissions tax for James City County and York County)No Vote
Motion to report HB 854 as substituted (nonprofit affordable housing property tax relief) — final vote after reconsiderationPassed
Motion to report HB 474 as amended (land bank assessment cap raised to $125,000)Passed
Motion to continue HB 68 as substituted to 2027 (real property assessment notice trigger)Passed
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TranscriptPreview
Do we have a quorum? Good afternoon. This is the finance subcommittee number two on local tax infrastructure and authority. We are making sure that we are verifying that we have a quorum. Committee would go. At ease. Good afternoon. The finance subcommittee number two is back in order. I believe we do have reached a quorum. Clerk, open the roll. Members, indicate your attendance on the electronic voting board. All right, Clerk, close the roll. Do we have a quorum? Quorum is. Quorum is present. Quorum is present. Thank you. Meeting will now start on today. Again, this is the finance subcommittee number two on local tax infrastructure and author. Today we have some administrative tasks that we need to do. First, we have two members who have asked for their bills to go by for the day. We have House Bill 345 by Delegate McLaughlin and House Bill 272 by Delegate Walker. Those two bills they have asked to go by for the day. The committee operates on motion. Madam Chair, I move that those bills go by for the day. Second, it has been moved improperly. Second, that House Bill 345 and House Bill 272 go by…
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