Blog

March 24, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Constitutional Amendment Would Cripple State Finances Further

Today, the Senate Select Committee on Tax Reform will consider a joint resolution that calls for a constitutional amendment (SJR 8)  that would transform the state and local tax system in West Virginia. Called the "Fair and Simple Tax Reform" amendment, it is part of an upside down tax package that includes SB 335 that…

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March 23, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Repeal of ACA Would Shift $4 Billion in Costs to West Virginia State Budget

As the House of Representatives takes up repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replacing it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA), a new report by the Urban Institute finds that the AHCA if enacted would cut federal funding for Medicaid in West Virginia by $4 billion over 10 years. To make up for…

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March 20, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Wealthiest 1% of West Virginians Gain from Tax Cuts in Health Care Repeal

The House proposal to repeal the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA), provides only a tiny fraction of very wealthy West Virginians tax cuts while reducing the number of Americans with health coverage by an estimated 24 million. The two big tax cuts included in the…

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March 9, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Food Assistance Cutoff Needlessly Harms Vulnerable West Virginians and Economy

Yesterday, the House Health Committee passed out HB 2132 that imposes a statewide three-month time limit for SNAP food assistance for childless adults that are working fewer than 20 hours per week. This bill mirrors a similar provision found in SB 60 and HB 2741 that was discussed previously in this blog. If enacted, these…

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March 3, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Proposed Asset Limit for Food Assistance is Counterproductive and Expensive

The West Virginia Legislature has introduced legislation (SB 60 & HB 2741) that make it harder for low-income West Virginians to receive food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If enacted, this legislation would create economic hardship for thousands of low-income West Virginians, drain our state of millions in SNAP dollars, and cost…

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February 28, 2017 by Ted Boettner
A Marriage Not Made in Heaven: A State EITC Without an Income Tax

Last Friday, the Senate Select Committee on Tax Reform explored the idea of amending SB 335 to include a version of a refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit. As noted previously, SB 335 would replace the personal and corporate income tax, along with the sales and use tax, with a general consumption tax of 8…

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February 28, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
Governor Justice Offers Revised Plan to Balance State Budget

Governor Justice held a press conference Monday, where he laid out an alternative plan to closing the state's $497 million FY 2018 budget gap. It revises the plan in the Governor's proposed FY 2018 Executive Budget, by reducing the proposed increases in sales and business taxes, while calling for higher taxes on tobacco and sugar-sweetened beverages. On…

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February 27, 2017 by Sean O'Leary
Tiered Natural Gas Severance Tax Proposal Effectively Doesn’t Change Much

One of Governor Jim Justice's proposals in his Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Budget was to tier the state's severance tax on coal and natural gas. Rather than the current flat 5 percent of production value, a tiered severance tax rate would adjust based on the price of coal or natural gas. While the budget document…

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February 21, 2017 by Ted Boettner
Governor Justice’s Tax Plan: Who Pays?

Governor Jim Justice has not introduced any tax measures yet, but in his State of the State Address and his executive budget  there are plans to enact several tax increases to close the Fiscal Year 2018 budget gap of $500 million and address the state's declining road fund that pays for highway construction, maintenance, and road…

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