In November voters in Pittsylvania County passed a  a 1% sales tax increase that is exclusively for school capital projects. This 1% tax will go into effect on July 1, 2023 and remain in effect for 19 years.

In the spring of this year, both Pittsylvania County and the Virginia Department of Taxation will formally notify County businesses that they need to collect an additional 1% in sales tax on purchases that don’t involve groceries, agricultural products, or medicines, beginning on July 1. This will bring the County’s total sales tax to 6.3%, with 4.3% of that going to the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1% to general County operations, and the additional 1% for School capital projects.

All sales tax revenues are sent to the Virginia Department of Taxation, which then sends the County its share. The County will have a designated fund for these new revenues from the 1% increase.

This new sales tax revenue is expected to fund approximately $50 million in projects identified by the School Board that center around enhancing the safety of our schools and developing more innovative learning environments. County staff are already identifying resources that will ensure County and School Board leaders, as well as the public, have the opportunity to monitor the revenue coming in and the expenditures flowing out of this fund.