As you mail that tax payment today – or if you have and are reflecting on the meaning of “tax day” -- think of all the important investments you are making.It can be easy to take for granted all the necessities we invest in with our tax dollars. Roads, bridges, schools, safety inspectors, firefighters, police…
OpEds
Charleston Gazette - When lawmakers reconvene this spring to address the state’s looming budget crisis, it is clear that a balanced approach that includes revenue is needed to get our fiscal house in order and help our state’s struggling economy. A cuts-only approach could not only lead to mass layoffs and pain for thousands of…
Martinsburg Journal, the State Journal - The U.S. Constitution has served us well for over two centuries, through many periods of great strain and discord. It is appropriate to consider amendments to the Constitution only with deep respect and deliberate care, as has been done over the years. Unfortunately, the West Virginia Legislature is considering…
Beckley Register-Herald -For over 40 years, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has helped working families who work for low wages. ReadSupported by both Republicans and Democrats, the EITC is an anti-poverty, pro-work tax credit which puts more money into the pockets of hard-working families. In fact, Congress recently improved the federal EITC, with…
Charleston Gazette - An effort to alter the U.S. Constitution through a constitutional convention being considered by the West Virginia Legislature could bring about unintended, damaging consequences. ReadThat’s why many scholars, economists, lawmakers, policy experts — and leading conservative organizations — rightly oppose such a move.A constitutional convention could unravel our nation’s fundamental rights and…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - It’s not too late for West Virginia policy makers to help hard-working families build a solid future. ReadLawmakers could accomplish this by joining the 26 states (plus the District of Columbia) that have adopted a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITCs are a proven way to help move families toward the…
The State Journal - Recently, West Virginia’s Republican Congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, helped thousands of West Virginians with its vote for a working families tax credit. This huge step means that improvements made to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Children’s Tax Credit (CTC) years ago are now…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - All too often, public policy debates get couched between those who favor government intervention in the market and those who do not. When it comes to economic issues, the framing is usually that conservatives favor less government or the “free market” while progressives want government solutions and non-market outcomes. This framing is…
Wall Street Journal - Paul Tice’s “Obama’s Appalachian Tragedy” (Dec. 1) wrongly puts most of the blame for West Virginia’s struggling coal industry and economy on recent clean-air regulations. In reality, the increasing cost of mining harder-to-access coal seams is the primary reason for the decline. ReadCoal-mining productivity has dropped by over 50% in the…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - There has been coverage in the media lately on the activities of the new coalition promoting the creation of a state EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) but not as much attention to the federal EITC and Child Tax Credits (CTC), major portions of which are set to expire in 2017 unless Congress…