OP-ED: Fairfax County Government Spies on Fido to Collect More Tax Revenue

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora | May 9, 2025

Fairfax County’s dog owners are often surprised to receive official mail from the local government detailing their dogs’ names, breeds, and coloring before they register them. The county’s department of tax administration sends these notices to solicit $10 annually for each dog license.

While dog licenses are an additional tax nuisance, they are not entirely uncommon across the country. Local jurisdictions justify tracking our loyal companions in order to keep tabs on the population and enforce vaccine requirements.

What is less common, however, are the Orwellian tactics Fairfax County use to collect the extra revenue. According to local veterinarians, the county requires a detailed monthly report on all dogs receiving the rabies vaccine. Fairfax County’s Department of Tax Administration then uses the information to send their “Gotcha, we know about your dog” notices to the county’s residents.

Information attained from a Freedom of Information Act request shows that the amount of money collected from the dog tax is negligible, particularly in comparison to Fairfax County’s FY2026 $5.7 billion budget.

When the administrative and postage costs associated with soliciting fees are subtracted from the revenue, many local residents question if the juice is worth the squeeze. Veterinarians are, after all, providing data to county officials on pets and their owners who have already proven their diligence by having their dogs vaccinated against rabies. If the county insists on the extra tax burden, they should maintain their databases from information provided voluntarily.

While the dog tax seems like a minor issue, it is the symptom of a much larger problem. Rather than focusing on budgetary efficiency, our local leaders are in pursuit of every avenue that generates revenue for their spending addiction. And they are using increasingly invasive and burdensome measures to that end.

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for The Federalist and the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax County, Virginia, an author, and the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women’s Network. Her articles have also appeared in Fox News Digital, National Review, Daily Signal, WMAL.com and Townhall.

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