There is hereby levied and imposed, in addition to all other taxes and fees now imposed by law, a tax upon the use or consumption of tangible personal property in this Commonwealth, or the storage of such property outside the Commonwealth for use or consumption in this Commonwealth, in the amount of 4.3 percent:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 58.1-604

  • Cost price: means the actual cost of an item or article of tangible personal property computed in the same manner as the sales price as defined in this section without any deductions therefrom on account of the cost of materials used, labor, or service costs, transportation charges, or any expenses whatsoever. See Virginia Code 58.1-602
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Storage: means any keeping or retention of tangible personal property for use, consumption or distribution in the Commonwealth, or for any purpose other than sale at retail in the regular course of business. See Virginia Code 58.1-602
  • Tangible personal property: includes (i) telephone calling cards upon their initial sale, which shall be exempt from all other state and local utility taxes, and (ii) manufactured signs. See Virginia Code 58.1-602
  • Use: means the exercise of any right or power over tangible personal property incident to the ownership thereof, except that it does not include the sale at retail of that property in the regular course of business. See Virginia Code 58.1-602
  • Use tax: refers to the tax imposed upon the use, consumption, distribution, and storage as defined in this section. See Virginia Code 58.1-602

1. Of the cost price of each item or article of tangible personal property used or consumed in this Commonwealth. Tangible personal property that has been acquired for use outside this Commonwealth and subsequently becomes subject to the tax imposed hereunder shall be taxed on the basis of its cost price if such property is brought within this Commonwealth for use within six months of its acquisition; but if so brought within this Commonwealth six months or more after its acquisition, such property shall be taxed on the basis of the current market value (but not in excess of its cost price) of such property at the time of its first use within this Commonwealth. Such tax shall be based on such proportion of the cost price or current market value as the duration of time of use within this Commonwealth bears to the total useful life of such property (but it shall be presumed in all cases that such property will remain within this Commonwealth for the remainder of its useful life unless convincing evidence is provided to the contrary).

2. Of the cost price of each item or article of tangible personal property stored outside this Commonwealth for use or consumption in this Commonwealth.

3. A transaction taxed under § 58.1-603 shall not also be taxed under this section, nor shall the same transaction be taxed more than once under either section.

4. The use tax shall not apply with respect to the use of any article of tangible personal property brought into this Commonwealth by a nonresident individual, visiting in Virginia, for his personal use, while within this Commonwealth.

Code 1950, §§ 58-441.5, 58-441.9; 1966, c. 151; 1984, c. 675; 1986, Sp. Sess., c. 12; 1995, c. 385; 2004, Sp. Sess. I, c. 3; 2013, c. 766; 2019, cc. 815, 816, 854.