Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 6, 1994 TAG: 9401060284
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Joan Furbish, Vinton treasurer/finance director, said confusion and computers are the main reasons the town is changing from a yearly to a prorated tax.
In the past, Vinton residents, who pay taxes to the town and to Roanoke County, received two tax bills, each calculated in a different way. The county began prorating taxes in 1987, but Vinton continued using calendar-year calculation.
"Proration should ease citizen confusion," Furbish said.
"Under the old system, what you owned Jan. 1 triggered your tax for the year," she said. "Now, personal-property tax is prorated to reflect sale of vehicles and the purchase of new ones at any time during the year."
For example, a Vinton resident who bought a car in September was not required to pay personal-property taxes until May of the following year. Now, a resident must report the purchase and pay tax on it within 30 days.
Furbish said Vinton collected $318,511 in personal-property taxes last year. Vinton's 1993 personal-property tax rate was $1 per $100 of assessed value, and the county's was $3.50 per $100. This translates into $675 in personal property taxes for a $15,000 car: $150 to the town, $525 to the county.
The Vinton Town Council and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors set the tax rates in the spring of each year and may or may not change them in 1994, Furbish said.
Prorating also means Vinton and county finance computers now speak the same language, modernizing Vinton's existing system of calculating and tracking personal-property taxes manually. This is expected to improve customer service, Furbish said.
With the new system in place, Vinton residents will continue to mail tax filing forms to the Roanoke County Commissioner's Office by Feb. 1. Tax bills, calculated using information listed on the forms, are mailed in April. The deadline for paying personal-property taxes without penalty is May 31. The tax must be paid before purchasing vehicle decals from the Vinton Treasurer's office.
Vinton also will use a computer data base for personal-property tax records for the first time. Tax bills for both jurisdictions can be calculated at either the Vinton treasurer's office or the Roanoke County commissioner of revenue's office, alleviating the need to visit both, Furbish said.
"We've worked out a few kinks by trying to anticipate different scenarios which might arise," Furbish said. "Roanoke County has done a great job getting us ready."
In addition to providing computer equipment, county officials also provided training.
Eastern Roanoke County residents, however, will continue to pay personal-property tax bills at county offices, Furbish said, adding she hopes eventually to be able to accommodate them in Vinton on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, county representatives will set up stations at the Vinton Municipal building in May for the convenience of east county residents.
by CNB