Budget Beat

June 24, 2022 by WVCBP
Abortion Restrictions and Bans Disproportionately Harm Low-income West Virginians

Abortion is and always has been an economic issue. With Roe v. Wade expected to be overturned in the coming weeks, abortion is likely to become even more restricted or altogether banned in West Virginia. Low-income people will suffer the most. In recent years, West Virginia lawmakers have created a landscape where pregnant people frequently…

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June 17, 2022 by WVCBP
Property Tax Amendment Could Cost Schools and Local Governments $515 Million, Take Control Away from Local Governments and Voters

This November, West Virginians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that could jeopardize hundreds of millions in property tax revenue benefiting local communities. Here's our third in a series of blog posts outlining why the amendment should be rejected. If passed, the property tax amendment would give the state legislature the authority to exempt business machinery and equipment,…

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June 10, 2022 by WVCBP
Data Doesn’t Support Eliminating the Business Machinery, Equipment, and Inventory Property Tax

This fall, West Virginians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that could jeopardize hundreds of millions in property tax revenue benefiting local communities. Here's our second in a series of blog posts outlining why the amendment should be rejected. This blog post details how claims that West Virginia’s property taxes are out of line with other states’ or…

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June 3, 2022 by WVCBP
Murray-Kaine Proposal Would Protect and Improve Child Care For Thousands of West Virginia Working Families

With temporary federal funding to help families afford child care ending soon, US Senators Patty Murray and Tim Kaine have proposed an increase in child care funding for all states that would give West Virginia an additional $77 million annually, allowing it to serve some 4,200 more children and build on pandemic-initiated improvements to our child care system. Negotiations are reportedly…

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May 27, 2022 by WVCBP
Simplifying Medicaid Processes Can Increase Efficiency and Improve the User Experience

Medicaid is a critical economic and health program in West Virginia, serving over 616,000 people, including children, seniors, low-income adults, pregnant and postpartum women, persons with disabilities, and more. Medicaid’s flexibility and reach has never been more clear than during the pandemic recession, when it provided health coverage for tens of thousands of West Virginians…

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May 21, 2022 by WVCBP
Despite Large Surpluses, West Virginia’s Tax Revenue Growth is Below Pre-Pandemic Rate

West Virginia’s tax revenue collections made a fast turnaround after the initial decline in the early months of the pandemic recession. General Revenue collections fell from $4.756 billion in FY 2019 to $4.49 billion in FY 2020, before bouncing back to $4.988 billion in FY 2021. But while the state largely recouped its pandemic revenue losses and has posted…

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May 13, 2022 by WVCBP
Proposed Property Tax Amendment Could Jeopardize Local Excess and Bond Levies

This fall, West Virginians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to give the state legislature the authority to exempt most business personal property and personal vehicles from the property tax, potentially costing local governments hundreds of millions in lost revenue. Property tax levies (including excess and bond levies) provide critical revenue for local services…

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May 6, 2022 by WVCBP
Tens of Thousands of West Virginians Will See Their Insurance Costs Rise Without Congressional Action

As one piece of the federal response to the pandemic, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which increased income-based health care subsidies, known as advanced premium tax credits (APTCs). These credits help make health insurance premiums more affordable to Americans at all income levels. While the increased APTCs have played a critical role in helping…

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April 22, 2022 by WVCBP
West Virginia’s Labor Force Statistics are Back to Normal. So Why are There Still Missing Workers?

Despite record-low unemployment rates and fully recovered employment and labor force participation rates, West Virginia is still down 24,300 jobs from its pre-pandemic level. The primary driving force behind this discrepancy is that West Virginia continues to experience population loss. While there is currently a higher percentage of West Virginians working than there was during the height…

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April 15, 2022 by WVCBP
What is Tax Day For?

With Tax Day just around the corner and West Virginians across the state filing their taxes, it’s a great time to remember what our contributions pay for and why it is important that we create a tax system that is equitable, transparent, and provides adequate resources to fund the public services and investments that allow our communities to thrive.…

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