This past Saturday at midnight, the West Virginia Legislature adjourned sine die after a long sixty days. Going into the session, the WVCBP team’s single largest goal was to protect the personal income tax, our state’s fairest tax and its largest source of revenue. We are thrilled to say that we, in coalition with many…
Budget Beat
Wednesday night, the full WV Senate took up HB 3300, the House-originated personal income tax cut plan, and made a significant amendment before quickly passing the bill. Senators voted on the legislation without having had adequate time to fully discuss and comprehend its far-reaching implications -- a reckless action given that the bill would impact every…
This week, the Senate Finance Committee took up HB 3300, the House’s personal income tax cut plan, and made significant changes before quickly passing it out of committee. Unlike the House plan, which phased out the income tax over time with no revenue offsets, the Senate’s plan is more similar to the governor’s proposal, making a…
Two plans to eliminate West Virginia's state income tax are now under consideration, one proposed by Governor Justice and the other by the West Virginia House of Delegates. The two proposals differ significantly, but they both disproportionately benefit the wealthiest West Virginians and create vast holes in the state budget, necessitating massive, painful cuts to critical public services. The…
West Virginia has long been at the forefront of the overdose epidemic in the US. Since 2010, its death rate per 100,000 by overdose of any type of drug has led the nation. Our new report both shows the heavy economic toll this crisis has on West Virginia as a whole and shines a spotlight on Kanawha County, the…
Yesterday, Governor Jim Justice unveiled his long-awaited proposal to reduce the state personal income tax. As currently structured, it would raise West Virginia’s sales tax to 7.9 percent, making it the highest state sales tax in the country, and effectively making our combined state and local sales tax rate 8.4 percent, higher than that of any of our surrounding…
SB 387 is currently being considered by the West Virginia Senate. This bill would make applicants who test positive for drugs or refuse a drug test ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance. Our new blog post from health policy analyst Rhonda Rogombé explains how such a policy choice would further stigma, harm vulnerable…
On Wednesday, WVCBP hosted its 8th Annual Budget Breakfast where we provided analysis of Governor Justice’s proposed budget as well as a keynote panel highlighting the lessons learned and painful tax cuts necessitated from Kansas’ failed Brownback Tax Experiment. WVCBP senior policy analyst Sean O'Leary kicked off the event by breaking down Governor Justice's proposed FY2022…
The Governor's annual State of the State address took place this Wednesday evening. During the address, Governor Justice previewed a troubling plan to eliminate the income tax by increasing the sales tax, cutting services, and using one-time federal stimulus money to close the gap. Here's WVCBP executive director Kelly Allen's statement on the address: "Every good…
30+ community orgs sent a letter to West Virginia's state leadership this week urging them to reject tax cuts that would take away the state’s ability to provide critical public services or that would shift tax responsibility from the wealthy and corporations onto the West Virginia families who’ve been most impacted by the pandemic. "We…