Blog

November 19, 2012 by Ted Boettner
Pew Report: “Fiscal Cliff” Could Damage West Virginia Economy

Last week, the Pew Center on the States released a report that looks at the impact of the "fiscal cliff" on state tax revenues and spending programs. The report also includes a nice fact sheet on the impact to West Virginia. On the revenue side, West Virginia, like several other states, is linked to the…

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November 19, 2012 by Ted Boettner
Bargaining for Higher Wages Can Curb Income Inequality in Mountain State

On Friday, we co-released a report with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute on the rise of income inequality in West Virginia. Most striking in the report was the average drop in incomes among the bottom 20 percent of West Virginia households since the late 1970s.  While the wealthiest…

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November 16, 2012 by Sean O'Leary
Best Practices for Oil and Natural Gas Extraction Tax Policy

The independent think tank Headwaters Economics has released a report on the best fiscal practices for states and local governments with oil and natural gas extraction. The report states, "Drilling for oil and natural gas is a high-impact economic activity that presents opportunities and challenges for state and local governments seeking to reconcile the benefits of job and…

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November 16, 2012 by WVCBP
Avoiding the Cliff Effect

West Virginia is nearly a month away from reductions in childcare assistance  eligibility requirements that will ipact over 800 parents and 1,400 children. Families that make between 150-185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level will be dropped from the program on January 1, 2013. The changes in eligibility could not only force parents to quite their…

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November 14, 2012 by Sean O'Leary
Does the U.S. Have a Long-Term Deficit Problem?

With the election over and the "fiscal cliff" drawing near, the nation's attention has once again turned to the federal government's budget deficit and the problems we face addressing it. Most agree that some combination of spending cuts and tax increases will be necessary in order to put the federal budget on a sustainable path,…

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November 9, 2012 by Ted Boettner
The Future of Coal and Insightful Industry Leaders

As readers may know, we've talked a lot recently about the future of coal in West Virginia. Specifically, we've aimed at taking a data-driven and evidence-based approach to the issue instead of one focused primarily on unsubstantiated political posturing. The issue is just too important not to be taken seriously. Now, with the election over, …

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November 9, 2012 by Ted Boettner
With Election Over, It’s Time to Expand Health Coverage

With the 2012 election firmly behind us, now is the time to fully implement the Affordable Care Act and ensure that no one in West Virginia is without health care coverage. In 2011, approximately 272,000 West Virginians between the ages of 18 and 64 lacked health coverage. As we highlighted in this recent report, about…

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November 6, 2012 by Ted Boettner
Solutions to Address Economic Opportunity and Income Inequality

One of my favorite social scientists, Lane Kenworthy, has a remarkable essay in the latest Foreign Affairs on America's growing opportunity and income inequality gap. Most notably, Kenworthy finds that addressing these twin problems requires different strategies. For example, while investing in early childhood development may help create more economic opportunity over the long-run it…

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November 5, 2012 by Ted Boettner
Coal Industry CEO Projects Decline in West Virginia Coal: Will Policymakers Take Note?

While policymakers have been somewhat slow to confront the historical and future decline of coal in the state, coal mining executives seem to understand quite well the economic realities facing their industry. As Ken Ward reported last Friday,  the CEO of Alpha Natural Resources, Kevin Crutchfield,  noted he "expects the region's production of steam coal…

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November 5, 2012 by Sean O'Leary
Surplus Corporate Tax Collections Reflect Lowered Expectations

Friday's Daily Mail reported on the state's latest monthly revenue report. The report shows that the state ended October with a $3.8 million surplus over what the budget office had estimated. The surplus was credited to higher than expected corporate income and business franchise tax revenue, which are currently running 21 percent ahead of expectations. However,…

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