In accordance with the County ordinance governing contracts, Louisa County Code Sec. 10-14, any Contractor doing business within Louisa County is required to obtain a County Contractors License. The fees are based on previous years gross receipts as follows:

Receipts	Fee
Up to $5,000	$ 5.00
$5,001 - $25,000	$25.00
Over $25,000	$25.00 plus $0.16 per each one Hundred over the first $25,000

Louisa County taxes cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, boats, recreational vehicles, mobile homes, business furniture, equipment, merchants capital, machinery and tools and aircraft. This form should be filed by May 1st of each year. You are required to file a form ever year regardless if you have any changes from the previous year. You should list everything owned January 1st or the year on the form.

Louisa County is not a pro-rating County, if you owned the vehicle January 1st, you will pay taxes for the full year. If you purchase a vehicle after January 1st you will not pay personal property tax on that vehicle until the following year.

Assessments are based on 100% of the trade-in value of the January Eastern Edition of the NADA Official Used Car Guide. Louisa County does an adjustment for high mileage on vehicles. In order to have your vehicle adjusted for high mileage you would need to provide us with proof of mileage as close to January 1st of the year (state inspection or statement with mileage when the vehicle was serviced). You should file this with your Personal Property form by May 1st so adjustments can be done prior to you receiving your tax bill.

If you are in the Military the Federal Soldier's and Sailor's Civil Relief Act, http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/sscra/ --exempts active duty military personnel from personal property tax in any state other than their state of legal residence. Therefore, vehicles registered in the active duty, non-Virginia resident military person's name only will be exempt from personal property tax. Every person whose name is on the registration must supply a copy of their current Leave and Earnings Statement. When military persons retire and remain in Louisa County, their vehicle(s) will be subject to personal property tax. Any vehicle that is jointly titled to an active duty military member and a non-active duty military member is taxable. All vehicles owned by military individuals who claim Virginia as their legal state of residence are subject to personal property tax, regardless of where the vehicle is physically located.

The Personal Property Tax Relief (PPTR) grants a percentage of relief for personal property tax on personal-use vehicles valued at $20,000 and less. The percentage varies each year (2007 relief 52%, 2008 relief 43.21% and 2009 relief 44.5%) and is based on the effect tax rate of $1.70/100 when the PPTRA of 1998 was approved. Qualifying vehicles are those used predominantly for non-business purposes and owned or leased by natural persons. If you can answer YES to any of the following questions, your motor vehicle is considered by State Law to have a business use and does NOT qualify for Personal Property Tax Relief.

• Is more than 50% of mileage for the year used as a business expense for Federal Income Tax purposes OR reimbursed by an employer?
• Is more than 50% of the depreciation associated with the vehicle deducted as a business expense for Federal Income Tax purposes?
• Is the cost of the vehicle expensed pursuant to Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Service Code?
• Is the vehicle leased by an individual and the leasing company pays the tax without reimbursement from the individual?

For more information on the PPTR, please call the Commissioner of the Revenue's office at (540) 967-3432.

All real estate is subject to taxation, except that specifically exempted by state code. Property is assessed on January 1st. Tax bills are due on December 5th. The Real Estate Assessment Office reassesses all real estate in Louisa County every year. The Assessment Office is also responsible for assessing property that has been subdivided; new construction; and improvements or additions to an existing structure. Questions regarding a reassessment notice should be directed to (540) 967-3450. If there is a change of bill address, or any other change pertaining to your taxes, please notify the Commissioner of Revenue's Office at (540) 967-3432.

REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS AND MAPPING

The Office of the Commissioner of Revenue is responsible for:
-- maintaining a record for each parcel of property in Louisa County;
-- transferring property as recorded by Deed or Will in the Clerk of the Circuit Court's office;
-- assigning map numbers; updating addresses of property owners and new assessment changes for billing;
-- and, in addition, producing the Annual Real Estate Land Book, which is the basis for the Treasurer's tax bill.

REAL ESTATE TAX RELIEF FOR THE ELDERLY OR DISABLED

If you are 65 years of age or above on January 1st of the tax year or 100% handicapped, have income of less than $40,000 from all sources, and have less than $100,000 in total net worth, you may be entitled to an exemption on your Real Estate Tax. Applications for relief on Real Estate Tax must be filed with the Commission of the Revenue's office, P.O. Box 8, Louisa, VA 23093, by May 1st annually. The table below shows the discount for which you may be eligible.

REAL ESTATE LAND USE

Properties that qualify for Land Use under the category of Agricultural or Forest must apply to the Office of the Commissioner of Revenue by November 1st annually. To qualify for agricultural use you must have a minimum of 5 acres open (excluding a 1 acre home-site). To qualify for forest use you must have a minimum of 20 acres in timberland (excluding a 1 acre home-site). There is a $10.00 application fee.

The Commissioner of Revenue's office is responsible for reviewing and processing state tax returns for Louisa County residents. The office staff reviews each tax return, checking for errors, omitted information and to verify that the correct filing status is used. If an error is discovered, the taxpayer is notified and given the opportunity to correct the return. Through on-line access to the Department of Taxation Information System, the staff can check the status of a refund for taxpayers.

The Commissioner's office also handles estimated tax payments. Form 760ES Voucher 1 should be sent to the Commissioner by May 1st. The Treasurer's Office processes all subsequent voucher payments.

All State Income Tax forms can be obtained from the Commissioner of Revenue's Office or by visiting the Virginia Department of Taxation website.