Charleston Gazette-Mail - Recently, the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy released “Saving Lives and Saving Money: The Case for Harm Reduction in Kanawha County.” Read the full op-ed. As its author, I uncovered available data on the fatality and nonfatality costs associated with the drug epidemic in Kanawha County. I don’t need to…
Economy
Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald - Jeff McKay, like many business owners in West Virginia, has had a tough time dealing with this pandemic. Read the full article. “I’m probably being too conservative by saying that,” said the owner of Huntington’s Summit Beer Station. Fortunately, with the vaccine rate improving, McKay says things are looking up…
West Virginia MetroNews - A House bill to cut the personal income tax by at least $150 million a year until it’s eliminated is on the edge of passage, while Gov. Jim Justice continues to sell a different plan to state and national audiences. Read the full article. House Bill 3300, anticipated to eliminate the income tax…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - A House of Delegates plan to phase out the state’s personal income tax, the state’s largest source of general revenue at about $2.1 billion a year, will be on passage stage in the House Friday. Read the full article. A counterpoint to Gov. Jim Justice’s proposal to initially cut income tax rates…
Hep Mag, POZ - West Virginia will receive $2.4 million in federal funding to help the state prevent and treat HIV, The Associated Press reports. The money arrives as an HIV outbreak among injection drug users shone a national spotlight on the state’s opioid epidemic and sparked debates about syringe exchanges and the economic burdens that result…
West Virginia MetroNews - If one income tax proposal wasn’t enough to figure out, now West Virginians have two. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice introduced a 60 percent cut in the personal income tax a few weeks ago, offsetting the reduction by increasing and expanding sales taxes. The House Finance Committee this week…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - West Virginia consistently has one of the worst rates of drug overdose deaths in the nation, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that toll has only been increasing in recent years. The West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy released a report on the economic toll of drug-related deaths and…
This week, the House Finance Committee originated and quickly passed their own income tax cut bill (HB 3300) as an alternative to Governor Justice's proposal. Unlike the governor's proposal, the House plan contains no offsetting revenues and would instead lead to massive budget deficits while giving most of the tax cuts to high-income West Virginians.…
Parkersburg News and Sentinel - If the human toll is not enough reason for some elected and bureaucratic officials to take seriously the fight against substance abuse and addiction in our state, here is one that might come closer to speaking their language: According to the Center on Budget and Policy, treating and addressing substance…
WCHS - Two bills have been introduced to address West Virginia’s income tax debate. Both eventually eliminate the state's income tax, which counts for $2.1 billion of the state’s budget, but do it in very different ways. Read the full article. First, Governor Jim Justice's plan: Lower the state income tax but 60% the first year,…