Blog

January 7, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Newsflash: Not All Government Employees Work for the State

In an awkward criticism, gossip columnist Phil Kabler at the Charleston Gazette has taken exception to our monthly Jobs Count report, which is a straight forward report on the employment and unemployment numbers in the state, with the data coming directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Phil's point of contention with last month's Jobs Count…

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January 4, 2013 by WVCBP
After The Cliff: What The Payroll Tax Holiday Expiration Means To West Virginia

Although a "fiscal cliff" deal to prevent tax hikes and sweeping spending cuts was brokered at the eleventh hour, West Virginians will still see a tax increase. The rarely mentioned payroll tax holiday has officially expired, impacting the paychecks of about 900,000 working West Virginians. Enacted in 2010, the payroll tax holiday was designed to…

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January 4, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Eliminating the Personal Property Tax: Part 4 – What’s at Stake for Schools

(Continued from Part 3 - published 12/19/12). Nearly $1.5 billion in property tax revenue was raised in West Virginia during FY 2012, and West Virginia's schools were by far the largest recipients of the revenue. County school districts collected a total of $967 million in property taxes, nearly two-thirds of the total. Overall, property taxes…

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January 2, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Shale Boom Should Not Deter Education Investments

"Political leaders don't have to do the hard work of building human capital and promoting sustainable economic growth -- they can just coast along, riding the benefits of the resource boom." The above quote was taken from a new article in Foreign Policy Magazine by David Rothkopk. The article, "Cursed with Plenty," looks at a…

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January 2, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Hospitals Need Medicaid Expansion to Reduce Costs

Hospitals in West Virginia will face higher costs if the state fails to expand Medicaid to 130,000 low-income West Virginians under the Affordable Care Act. According to a recent study by John Graves in the New England Journal of Medicine, hospitals will see a reduction in federal Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH or "dish") payments that…

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December 19, 2012 by Sean O'Leary
Eliminating the Personal Property Tax: Part 3 – What’s at Stake for Municipalities

(Continued from Part 2 - published 12/11/12) In FY 2012, West Virginia's 241 municipalities collected an estimated $30 million in personal property tax revenue. While municipal governments are less reliant on property taxes as a source of revenue than are county governments, property taxes still make up around 10 percent of municipal general revenues. While…

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December 18, 2012 by WVCBP
West Virginia Families Benefit From Free Bargaining

Michigan has become the 24th state to pass "right-to-work" legislation. Essentially that means collective bargaining agreements cannot require nonunion employees to pay union dues. However, nonunion employees may still often benefit from wage agreements, a grievance process, and other benefits negotiated by the union. West Virginia does not have a "right-to-work" law, but some think…

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December 17, 2012 by Sean O'Leary
Not All Tax Incentives are Tax Credits *Update*

This month's New York Times article on business tax subsidies has attracted plenty of attention in West Virginia, as our state was listed as second in the nation with $857 per resident given out to attract businesses in the state. While state officials defended the state's use of tax incentives, Phil Kabler in Sunday's Gazette-Mail…

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December 13, 2012 by Sean O'Leary
Forbes Best States For Business Don’t Always Have the Best Job Growth

Another day, another business climate ranking with a poor result for West Virginia, this time coming from the Forbes 2012 Best States for Business list, which ranks West Virginia as the 45th best state for business. Forbes first started ranking the states in 2006, so like I did earlier this week with the Economic Freedom…

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December 12, 2012 by WVCBP
West Virginia Must Strengthen Its Safety Net

Our state safety net is a crucial lifeline for families and children in poverty, whether it is providing child care assistance to help a single mom get to work, providing affordable and quality health care to a child or disabled person, or ensuring that kids can get breakfast at school. Unfortunately, West Virginia has one…

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