A report out this week shows that more U.S. children have health care coverage than ever. The numbers are especially good in West Virginia with less than 3 percent of the state's children lacking health insurance. WVCBP President Renate Pore says that's the lowest rate the state has ever had, thanks to the Children's…
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Legislators solved last year's budget crisis primarily with one-time fixes like money from the Rainy Day Fund. While they did raise the tobacco tax, that was not enough to permanently fix the problem. With revenues continuing to come in below projections, it's likely to be a déjà vu budget situation during the 2017 Legislative Session.…
Throughout the next couple of months, WVCBP staff will talk to dozens of organizations across the state about West Virginia's fiscal condition: specifically how the state can fix its upcoming budget gap, estimated to be at least $300 million next year. Who pays taxes in West Virginia? What makes up our tax base? To help…
This week the results of a survey of voters across Appalachia show a majority support the Reclaim Act to bring federal resources to hard-hit coal communities. The majority also favor diversifying the area's economy in order to bring more jobs to the region. Here's more from West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Improvement"…
Yesterday, the Tax Foundation released its 2017 State Business Tax Climate Index (SBTCI) that purports to show that West Virginia now has the 18th-best state business tax climate in the country, ranking better than any of our surrounding states. Policymakers and others should exercise caution in drawing any positive conclusions from the report since the…
Too many West Virginians struggled to make ends meet in 2015, and the number of West Virginians living in poverty remained unchanged. One solution? A Working Families Tax Credit that would help people who work for low wages keep more of what they earn. How could a West Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) help…
More and more West Virginians have health insurance, thanks to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion. According the U.S. Census Bureau, 108,000 West Virginians lacked health insurance in 2015, a decrease of 48,000 from 2014. With 94.0 percent of West Virginians now having health insurance, the state's uninsured rate in 2015 was 6.0 percent,…
It took a special session but lawmakers successfully balanced this year's budget as the clock was running out. A mixture of Rainy Day funds, budget cuts, and an increase in the tobacco tax filled the gap. They did not, however, provide a long-term solution and West Virginia will face a similar situation next year. How…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed rules that, if strengthened, could rein in the worst abuses of payday and car title lending. Thankfully, West Virginia protects against abusive payday and car title loans, but the CFPB still needs to hear from you. Add your voice now to stop the debt trap! Payday loans…
Families who struggle to pay for expenses put most of their money right back into the economy when they buy necessities. A West Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would give these families an additional boost at tax time and generate millions of dollars in local West Virginia communities. This week the Charleston Gazette editorial…