SB96 • 2026

Income tax, corporate and state; credit for braille labeling program.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 13 of Chapter 3 of Title 58.1 a section numbered 58.1-439.12:13, relating to income tax credit; braille labeling program.

Taxes

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Roem
Last action: 2026-03-10
Official status: Failed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details about how businesses will apply for or receive these credits.

Tax Credit for Braille Labeling Program

This bill creates a nonrefundable income tax credit program to encourage businesses in Virginia to develop and implement braille labeling on products sold or shipped within the state, with annual limits.

What This Bill Does

Creates a nonrefundable individual and corporate income tax credit for expenditures incurred in developing and implementing a braille labeling program on products, items, or packages sold in or shipped within Virginia from 2026 to 2030.
Limits the total amount of credits allowed per business to $50,000 each year from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030.
Sets an annual cap of $500,000 for all tax credits given out under this program.
Requires that any unused credit cannot be carried over to future years.

Who It Names or Affects

Businesses in Virginia that sell or ship products within the state
People with visual impairments who can read braille labels

Terms To Know

Braille labeling program: A voluntary business initiative to put raised braille characters on product labels so people with vision problems can identify items.
Nonrefundable tax credit: A reduction in the amount of income tax owed, but it cannot be refunded if there is no tax liability.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how businesses will apply for or receive these credits.
It's unclear what happens to unused credit amounts that exceed the annual limit.

Bill History

2026-03-10 House
Left in Appropriations
2026-02-25 Finance
Referred from Finance and referred to Appropriations (21-Y 0-N)
2026-02-18 Finance and Appropriations
Fiscal Impact statement From TAX (2/18/2026 6:14 pm)
2026-02-03 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-03 House
Read first time
2026-02-03 Finance
Referred to Committee on Finance
2026-01-23 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-01-22 Senate
Read second time
2026-01-22 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
2026-01-22 Finance and Appropriations
Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
2026-01-22 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-01-22 Senate
VOTE: Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-01-21 Senate
Read first time
2026-01-20 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (14-Y 0-N)
2026-01-20 Finance and Appropriations
Senate subcommittee offered
2026-01-20 Finance and Appropriations
Committee substitute printed 26105724D-S1
2026-01-17 Senate
Fiscal Impact statement From TAX (1/17/2026 9:54 am)
2025-12-31 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100740D
2025-12-31 Finance and Appropriations
Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Income tax credit; braille labeling program.
Creates a nonrefundable individual and corporate income tax credit, as applicable, for taxable years 2026 through 2030 for up to $50,000 of expenditures incurred in the development and implementation of a braille labeling program on products, items, or packages sold in or shipped within the Commonwealth. The bill specifies that the aggregate amount of such credits allowed for all taxpayers in a taxable year is $500,000 and that any credit not usable for the taxable year in which it is first allowed shall not be carried over for credit in any succeeding taxable year.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL NO. 96

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations

on January 20, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Roem)

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 13 of Chapter 3 of Title 58.1 a section numbered
58.1-439.12:13
, relating to income tax credit; braille labeling
program
.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 13 of Chapter 3 of Title 58.1 a section numbered
58.1-439.12:13
as follows:

§ 58.1-
439.12:13
.
Braille labeling
tax credit.

A. For the purposes of this section
:

"Braille labeling
program
"
means a program

voluntarily
developed and

implemented by a
business

that
standardizes
the affixation of
braille
labels on

product
s
, item
s
, or package
s

that are

sold in or
shipped
within
the Commonwealth
by such
business
.

"Braille labels"
means

labels using the raised characters of braille code on a product, item, or package so that a person with a visual impairment can read what that product or item is.

"
E
ligible
braille labeling
expenditures" means expenditures incurred
in the development or implementation of
a
braille labeling program
.

B.
For taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
2026
, but before January 1,
2031
, any
business

shall be allowed a
nonrefundable
credit against the tax levied pursuant to §
58.1-320
or
58.1-400
for eligible braille labeling expenditures incurred in a taxable year
. The
business
shall be allowed a credit in an amount equal to
the lesser of the actual amount of eligible braille labeling expenditures incurred in the taxable year or
$50,000.

C
. The Tax Commissioner shall issue tax credits

in an amount not to exceed
$
500,000

pursuant to this section
in any
taxable year
.
Credits shall be allocated by the Department on a first-come, first-served basis.

D
. The amount of the credit claimed shall not exceed the total amount of tax imposed by this chapter upon the
business
for the taxable year. Any credit not usable for the taxable year in which the credit was first allowed
shall not
be carried over for credit against the income taxes of the
business
i
n any
succeeding taxable
year
.

E
. Credits granted to a partnership, limited liability company, or electing small business corporation (S corporation) shall be allocated to the individual partners, members, or shareholders, respectively, in proportion to their ownership or interest in such business
entity
.

F
. The Tax Commissioner
, in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade,
shall develop guidelines implementing the provisions of this section. Such guidelines shall be exempt from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§
2.2-4000
et seq.).