MEDIAN REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY
	TAXES RISE IN VIRGINIA THIS YEAR

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 16 -- Median real estate tax
rates for Virginia cities and counties rose slightly in 1995,
according to a study by the University of Virginia's Cooper Center
for Public Service.
	The 374-page "1995 Tax Rates in Virginia's Cities, Counties
and Selected Towns," by economist John L. Knapp, contains
information on 14 major tax categories and
shows tax rates for the state's 95 counties and 40 cities, plus 164
towns.  The study has new information on the controversial business,
professional, and occupational license (BPOL) tax and on many
special tax provisions such as tax relief programs for the elderly.
Real estate and personal property taxes, the only two major local
taxes with no state restrictions on rates, account for 58 percent of
city tax revenues and 72 percent of county tax revenues.
	The median tax rate on real estate was $1.12 per $100 of
assessed value for cities and 67 cents for counties in 1995, up from
$1.10 for cities and 66 cents for counties in 1994.
	Real estate tax rates rose in 10 cities and 14 counties.
They stayed the same in the majority of cities (25) and counties
(69). Rates were reduced in five cities and 12 counties.
	The 1995 real estate tax rates ranged from a high of $1.49
in Petersburg to a low of 35 cents in Mecklenburg County. The next
highest rates were $1.45 in the city of Richmond and $1.44 in the
city of Manassas Park.  The second and third lowest rates were 38
cents in Halifax County and 41 cents in Cumberland county. 
	"Such comparisons are rough because the tax rates apply to
assessed values that may not keep pace with market values," Knapp
cautioned. 
	The median personal property tax on motor vehicles, adjusted
to reflect variations in local assessment practices, also rose in
1995. The median adjusted rate for cities was $2.68 per $100 in
1995, compared to $2.67 in 1994.  The median for counties was $2.37
per $100, compared to $2.20 the previous year.
	The "Tax Rates" report has enjoyed a wide audience during
its 14 years of publication.  It is purchased by state and local
government officials, taxpayer groups, property owners, economic and
community development specialists, real estate agents and
developers, other businesses, newcomers to Virginia, chambers of
commerce, candidates for elected office, and others who want to know
more about local taxation.  The publication is available from the
University of Virginia Cooper Center for Public Service at (804)
982-5638. Price is $22 plus tax and shipping. 
	For additional information John Knapp may be reached at the
above number.
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November 15, 1995