Working West Virginians with modest incomes lost nearly $13 million of their 2006 federal income tax refunds to tax preparers who promised them “fast cash." Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) provide high-interest credit or cash advances to tax filers based on their expected refunds and are marketed to those who need money quickly during tax season.…
Reports & Briefs
More than 6,100 jobless workers in West Virginia will run out of unemployment benefits by the end of 2009. West Virginia could provide additional help to these workers under provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. States with high unemployment rates may provide up to 20 more weeks of Extended Benefits, fully paid by…
With health care reform estimated to cost around $1 trillion over the next 10 years, the means must now be found to pay the bill. A recent report by Citizens for Tax Justice highlighted three proposals that would raise the needed revenue without burdening working families already struggling to make ends meet. Read
This report describes the history and current methods of taxing one of the state’s most valuable resources. It is intended as a useful reference for county officials, coal companies, landowners, and local citizens. Morgantown-based Downstream Strategies prepared the report, in collaboration with the WV Center on Budget and Policy. Read
Recent research by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy examined a promising approach for reducing the retirement gap among workers in the Mountain State. Read
This report summarizes major appropriations resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that are likely to have the greatest impact on low- and moderate-income West Virginians. Read
The number of unemployed West Virginians has swelled by more than 10,000 over the past year, and the pace of job loss is accelerating. This poses significant challenges to the solvency of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Read
West Virginia’s unemployment insurance program is in urgent need of re?tooling, especially with the state’s rapidly rising unemployment. Read
Millions of Americans and thousands of West Virginians are approaching retirement without the resources they need to make ends meet. Read
This report finds companies fail to deliver on job-creation promises after given publicly funded subsidies. Read