Falls Church Joins Localities Implementing Disposable Plastic Bag Tax April 1, 2022

RICHMOND, Va. – Starting April 1, 2022, Falls Church joins the cities of Roanoke, Alexandria and Fredericksburg, along with Fairfax and Arlington Counties, in requiring retailers to collect a new 5-cent tax for each disposable plastic bag they provide customers at checkout.

In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation allowing localities to adopt the tax, used to fund local environmental initiatives. Once a locality adopts the tax, grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores within that city or county are required to charge the tax. So far, four cities and two counties have adopted the tax. “Implementation of these new taxes has proceeded very smoothly,” said Tax Commissioner Craig M. Burns. “Our Customer Service office has helped taxpayers, retailers, and localities handle a few questions about where these taxes do and don’t apply to ease the transition.”

Affected businesses can report the collected tax on their sales and use tax returns. If they have questions about the tax, they can find official guidelines as well as Tax Bulletin 21-9 on the Virginia Tax Website. Businesses can also contact the Virginia Tax Business Customer Service hotline at 804.367.8037.

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