Virginia Strips Confederate Organizations of Tax Exemptions and License Plates
Governor Spanberger signed two bills ending the state's property tax exemptions for six Confederate heritage organizations -- including the United Daughters of the Confederacy -- and halting renewals of Robert E. Lee license plates.
Governor Abigail Spanberger signed two bills this month that strip Virginia's remaining government benefits from Confederate heritage organizations, ending property tax exemptions that date back decades and phasing out specialty license plates honoring Confederate figures.
HB167, sponsored by Delegate Alex Askew (D-Virginia Beach) with 15 Democratic co-sponsors, eliminates the tax-exempt status for real and personal property owned by six organizations:
- Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
- General Organization of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
- Confederate Memorial Literary Society
- Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Incorporated
- Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans
- J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust
The bill also eliminates the UDC's exemption from state recordation taxes. The Senate passed it 21-17.
The License Plates
HB1344, sponsored by Delegate Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), ends the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles' authority to issue or renew license plates honoring Robert E. Lee and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Plates currently on the road remain valid through their expiration date but will not be renewed. Spanberger signed this bill on April 6.
Who's Affected
The largest impact falls on the United Daughters of the Confederacy, founded in 1894 for descendants of Confederate soldiers. The organization's national headquarters is a 1957 building on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Richmond -- formerly known as The Boulevard. The UDC has said that losing the tax exemptions could hinder its ability to maintain the headquarters and carry out its operations.
The UDC built hundreds of Confederate memorials across the country throughout the 20th century, many of which became flashpoints during the nationwide reckoning over Confederate iconography that accelerated after 2015 and intensified in 2020.
Frank Earnest, spokesperson for the Virginia Sons of Confederate Veterans, called the license plate bill a potential free speech concern, comparing it to removing any plate someone dislikes.
Context
Virginia -- the former capital of the Confederacy -- has moved steadily to dismantle state-sanctioned Confederate symbols over the past decade. Richmond removed its Monument Avenue Confederate statues in 2020-2021. The General Assembly voted to allow localities to remove Confederate monuments in 2020. These bills represent the next phase: ending the financial benefits the state extended to Confederate organizations through the tax code.
The tax exemption bills were part of a broader batch of legislation Spanberger reviewed as part of the 2026 General Assembly session, which also included bills related to VMI's 'lost cause' curriculum.