It’s now been almost four months since Governor Justice announced that his top priority for the 2021 West Virginia legislative session would be eliminating the personal income tax. But despite the time elapsed, we’ve yet to see a plan put to paper. That’s likely because it’s really difficult to eliminate the state’s largest source of…
Tax and Budget
With the elimination of the business personal property tax once again a top legislative priority, the first piece of the plan has been introduced in the legislature, with Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 7. SJR 7 is identical to SJR 9, which failed to pass the legislature last year. SJR 7 starts the process for eliminating…
WOWK TV, Tax News Daily - West Virginia Governor Jim Justice held virtual a town hall Monday afternoon to discuss his proposal to repeal the state’s personal income tax. Read the full article. “Well I’ve outlined it a bunch of times and everything. We need our natural resources partners to help out just a little…
Mountain State Spotlight - Desperate to attract jobs, West Virginia lawmakers made drastic tax cuts. The result was declining investment in education — and stagnant job growth. Read the full article. That was more than a decade ago. Now, faced with the same problem, state lawmakers want to do it again. Amid a pandemic that has…
Times West Virginian - In fiscal year 2019, West Virginia’s state income tax brought in $2.09 billion to state coffers to fund nearly half of the state’s services needed to provide a decent quality of life in the Mountain State. Read the full article. Now, Gov. Jim Justice and the Republican supermajority are bent on…
At our 2021 Budget Breakfast on February 17, WVCBP senior policy analyst Sean O'Leary provided analysis of the Governor's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022. You can download Sean's budget analysis PowerPoint presentation here.
Weston Democrat - You’ve got to hand it to Gov. Jim Justice. The man is an excellent orator. He can make snake oil taste like champagne. Read the full article. In his State of the State address on Wednesday night, the governor touted the “West Virginia miracle” he believes he’s wrought during his time in…
The West Virginia legislative session began on Wednesday, February 10 and legislators have wasted no time rolling out their priority bills. Several bills with major fiscal impacts are being moved quickly, raising worries of whether lawmakers have had adequate time to thoroughly consider individual bills — much less to consider how the interaction of numerous…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch - The COVID-19 pandemic is a war we’re finally starting to win, at great cost. Read the full op-ed. After such wars, good governments step in with bold ideas and concrete programs to help heal and rebuild. Think of Britain’s “Homes Fit for Heroes” after World War I and America’s G.I.…
West Virginia MetroNews - A first bill aimed at refining the governor’s emergency powers is headed for a vote in the House of Delegates. Read the full article. For months, lawmakers have been watching Gov. Jim Justice’s use of CARES Act relief funding. West Virginia received $1.25 billion in federal relief, and Gov. Jim Justice…