On Nov. 8, Fairfax County voters will cast their ballots for or against a meal tax, affecting the whole county. The 4 percent meal tax would be added to the 6 percent existing sales tax on all prepared foods and meals.

The tax would apply to all prepared meals at restaurants, lunchrooms, cafeterias, coffee shops, cafes, taverns, delis, push cart operations, hotdog stands movie theaters and food trucks.

The meal tax is expected to bring in an additional $100 million of revenue, 70 percent of which would go to Fairfax County Public Schools, and most of the remaining 30 percent to the county government. The county would use their 30 percent for services as well as the building and refurbishment of such edifices as police stations, fire stations and libraries. The tax was proposed as a way to avoid further raising property taxes.

“I have very mixed feelings on the meal tax” English teacher Catherine Gibson said. “Of course I would like the benefit going to Fairfax County Public Schools, but it does seem a bit excessive for it to go all the way up to 10 percent for a food tax. I would be interested to see if it actually ends up being used for the proposed purpose.”

Many surrounding counties and cities also have meal taxes of similar levels. Neighboring Alexandria has a tax of 4 percent, as well as Arlington, Falls Church and Fairfax City.

Regions farther from Washington D.C. tend to have lower meal taxes, such as Herndon with a tax of 2.5 percent and Vienna with a tax of 3 percent. D.C. takes the cake with a tax of 10 percent.

Supporters of the meal tax argue that it would diversify the county’s revenue, because unlike property taxes, meal taxes apply to everyone buying meals in Fairfax County, including tourists, visitors and commuters.

Opponents say that the tax will especially impact lower income families because they are the primary customer base for prepared meals, hurt family businesses and create more unemployment.

The last meal tax proposed in Fairfax County in 1992, failed because the county government and FCPS are facing a large deficit. However, the idea was reintroduced last spring. In order to compensate for their prospective loss of revenue, the county offered to give $3 million directly back to the restaurants. In the end, the choice regarding the meal tax is up to Fairfax County voters.