[Archived] 2012 Business Personal Property Tax Returns Due Tuesday, May 1

News Highlights:

• 2012 Business Personal Property Tax Returns due Tuesday, May 1.
• The City has made some enhancements to the 2012 Business Personal Property Tax Return.
• Any business that has not received a tax return should contact the City immediately or download the form from the City’s website at alexandriava.gov/BusinessTax.
• All returns should be accompanied by an asset listing or federal depreciation schedule.
• The City will conduct a statutory assessment of any business not filing by the deadline.

More Information: 

• Business Personal Property Tax 
• Business Tax            

The City of Alexandria reminds businesses that the 2012 Business Personal Property Tax Return is due Tuesday, May 1 from all businesses that were operating in the City as of January 1, 2012.  The City will conduct a statutory assessment of any business that fails to meet this deadline.  This statutory assessment may result in a higher 2012 tax bill.  The City will also assess a late filing penalty of $10 or five percent of the tax due, whichever is greater, for failure to file a return by the due date.  This penalty will not exceed $500 if a return is filed within the first 30 days after the due date.

Working with representatives from the business community, the City has made some enhancements to the 2012 Business Personal Property Tax Return:

• Two additional columns have been added to each schedule, one to report new acquisitions and transfers and another to report disposals and transfers out.
• The City has provided lines for business filers to give an explanation for reporting no business personal property.  (Businesses with no business personal property in the City must still file a business personal property tax return.)
• The Cessation of Business section, which allows businesses to report that they have ceased doing business in the City, has been amended to include a line for reporting the reason the business closed or left the City.
• The City has added an all new instruction page for completing the return, including examples of the equipment that should be reported under each schedule.
• The General Information page has been modified to include a detailed explanation of the statutory assessment process and information about who must file a return.

All returns should be accompanied by an asset listing or federal depreciation schedule to determine the correct classification of equipment, which will be the basis for the City’s annual business personal property tax assessment.  Asset listings should include the original purchase price, a detailed description of the equipment, the original acquisition date and the disposal date, if applicable. If a business needs to remove assets from the annual asset list due to disposal, transfer to a new location, or sale, the business must include validation through sufficient documentation, which includes but is not limited to shipping invoices, Federal form 4797, or proof of filing a tax return for the equipment with another jurisdiction.

Any business that has not received a business personal property tax return in the mail should download a blank return form from the City’s website at alexandriava.gov/BusinessTax or contact the City by email at businesstax@alexandriava.gov or by phone at 703.746.3903.  Businesses that have had a change of address and have not previously reported this change should also contact the City.  Please note that failure to receive a return is not a basis for waiving the late filing penalty assessed on any return not received by the due date. 

Additional information on business personal property taxes and all other business taxes as well as business tax forms are available online at alexandriava.gov/BusinessTax. Businesses that are new to the City may wish to view the City’s Tax Guide for New City Businesses also available online.

Si necesita ayuda en Español, por favor llame al 703.746.3907.