Blog

October 2, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
September Collections Throw Cold Water on New Income Tax Cut Proposal

A weak September for General Revenue collections underscored the heavy price of 2023's tax cuts on the state's budget and should serve as a warning against Governor Justice and lawmakers moving ahead with even deeper cuts to revenue. Weak September Numbers September General Revenue collections totaled $567.7 million, which is $104.4 million below September 2023's…

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October 1, 2024 by Rhonda Rogombe
Making Doulas Accessible is a Cost-efficient Way to Improve Birthing Outcomes in WV

West Virginia has some of the worst birthing outcomes in the nation. The WVCBP has previously focused on racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality, but the state must also address infant and maternal morbidity, or serious health complications that do not result in death. These are far more common and have a significant bearing on quality of…

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September 10, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Income Tax Cuts Driving Historic Revenue Decline

This week, Governor Justice announced a special session to be held at the end of September to override tax cut triggers enacted as part of the 2023 tax law and slash taxes by an additional $114 million. As we highlighted recently, the proposal ignores realities and defies fiscal responsibility. While policymakers are still learning the…

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September 5, 2024 by Seth DiStefano
West Virginia Should Adopt Free File for 2025 Tax Season

Tax filing can be a costly and complicated process for families and small businesses. The reason the system is so complicated is because for years, paid tax preparation corporations have profited by charging families to fulfill their legal obligation to file taxes each year. These companies, including Intuit and H&R Block, have conducted massive lobbying efforts…

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August 14, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Calls For More Tax Cuts Conflict With Slowing Revenues, Growing Unmet Needs

West Virginia lawmakers are under pressure from Governor Justice to override the tax cut triggering mechanism created as part of the 2023 state income tax law and enact additional cuts on his way out the door. But state revenue and budget pressures, including slowing revenues, costly enacted legislation, and a myriad of unmet needs come…

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July 16, 2024 by Kelly Allen
West Virginia Matches Up Well With Neighbors on Tax Rates, Falls Short on Funding Schools and Child Care

Updated August 9, 2024. Much of the hype around personal income tax cuts has centered on West Virginia’s competitiveness to attract people and businesses to the state. Because most interstate migration happens among border states, it’s worth taking a look at West Virginia’s competitiveness compared to our neighboring states. The data shows that while West…

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July 10, 2024 by Rhonda Rogombe
Black Infant and Maternal Health Must Be Prioritized in the Mountain State

Infant and maternal health outcomes are just two of many factors indicating the overall health of West Virginia. They create a narrative about connections with health and communal care and indicate areas for improvement. Over the past several years, the data around infant and maternal mortality have lagged in West Virginia, making it difficult to…

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June 18, 2024 by WVCBP
Court Watch: A Second Chance

A contextual note from the WVCBP: The most important criminal law bill of the 2024 West Virginia legislative session got little attention from lawmakers. Senate Bill 736, the Second Look Sentencing Act, would have given judges the authority to review long sentences in cases where a person has served at least 10 years for an…

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