Commissioner of the Revenue

The Commissioner of the Revenue is the chief taxing authority for the locality in which they are elected. This office is responsible for maintaining real estate records, assessing all personal and business property, issuing business licenses, administering meals and transient occupancy taxes and assisting citizens with filing Virginia income taxes. The position of Commissioner of the Revenue is a constitutional office within the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Bedford, with elections occurring locally every four years.

All motor vehicles (including cars, trucks, trailers, motor homes, motorcycles), boats, and airplanes normally garaged or parked in the City of Bedford are subject to tangible personal property tax. Vehicles are discovered for taxation through DMV registrations and taxpayers purchasing city decals. The City of Bedford does not prorate Personal Property taxes. The Commissioner's office processes all decal applications. City decals must be purchased by May 1st, of each year. The decal fee is $25.00 for automobiles and $15.00 for motorcycles. The City of Bedford does not require decals for trailers. A decal can be transferred from one car to another. There is a $1.00 fee for this transfer.

All business machinery, tools, furniture, fixtures and other equipment owned on January 1st and used in a trade or business is subject to personal property tax. Business personal property is assessed at 52% of original cost. All machinery and tools used in the manufacturing process is subject to machinery and tools tax. Machinery and Tools are assessed at 60% of original cost. In both of the above cases a complete list of assets including purchase date and cost is due to be filed by May 1st of each year.

for machinery and tools, the original cost is used for tax purposes and the assessment ratio is 60%.

• Nominal tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation - $1.30
• Effective tax rate per $100 - $0.78

The business personal property is assessed at of 52% of original cost.

• Nominal tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation - $1.50
• Effective tax rate per $100 - $0.78

All businesses in the City of Bedford are required to be licensed under the provisions of the BPOL ordinance. This includes retail, service (business and personal) professional, wholesale and contractor categories. The tax is based on a percentage of the gross income derived from the business. Each category has a different rate. Business licenses are due to be renewed by March 1st of each year and expire on December 31st of each year.

The Commissioner of the Revenue maintains all real estate records for property located within the City of Bedford. Real estate records are listed on the City's web page. Tax maps are accessible in the Commissioner's office as well as on the City's web page (Geographic Information System). A general reassessment of all properties occurs every four years. Guidelines for values are determined by sales studies. The City of Bedford has tax relief for the elderly and disabled that provides a discount on tax bills if certain criteria is met. The discount applies to the house and one acre of land. Applicants must be at least 65 years old or permanently and totally disabled with income less than $15,000.00 and net worth less than $40,000.00. Applications are taken each year between July lst and August lst based on the previous 12 months of income, etc. Applicants have to reapply every year.

Real Estate is assessed at a 100% ratio.

• Nominal tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation - $0.81
• Effective tax rate per $100 - $0.81

All businesses in the City of Bedford that sell prepared foods or provide lodging are required to collect 5% tax from the consumer. This includes all food prepared for consumption including beverages whether eaten on or off premises. The transient occupancy tax must be collected from persons who rent facilities for less than 30 consecutive days. This applies to cottages, bed and breakfasts, condos, motel or hotel rooms, rooming houses and tourist homes. The tax is remitted to the Commissioner of the Revenue by the 20th of each month on forms provided by the Commissioner's office.

The Commissioner of the Revenue is responsible for reviewing and processing Virginia tax returns for the citizens of Bedford City. The office staff reviews each return for accuracy. If errors are found the taxpayer is notified and the return is corrected. The Commissioners office is on line with the Department of Taxation to allow data entry of returns into the tax system in Richmond. This allows for very quick refunds. The Commissioner of the Revenue provides assistance in filing of Virginia income tax returns if the taxpayer brings in a copy of their federal return and W2's. Also, all Virginia (and many federal) individual income tax returns are available in the office.