Tax and Budget

February 17, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Kelly Allen: Disaster Artists Behind Kansas Tax Cuts Eyeing WV (Opinion)

Charleston Gazette-Mail, Times West Virginian - “Go big or go home.” That was the message from Stephen Moore — an adviser to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on his disastrous tax experiment — during a panel promoting tax cuts earlier this week. Alongside him was Grover Norquist, who famously said of the state’s supply-side driven tax…

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February 13, 2023 by Kelly Allen
What’s a Sustainable Plan for West Virginia’s “Surplus”?

The 2023 state legislative session has seen both chambers heavily focused on turning the state’s revenue “surplus” into personal income tax cuts, despite the clear need for new spending after four years of austerity forced by flat budgets. We’ve covered at length the temporary factors driving the surplus, as well as the fallacy of calling…

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February 10, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Senate Tax Cut Plan Not What Was Promised to Average West Virginians, Poses Significant Risks of Future Tax Increases or Budget Cuts

Over the course of a six-hour period, the West Virginia Senate unveiled their tax cut proposal, rushed it through committee (without a fiscal note, hearing testimony from a single witness, or any members asking any questions), and suspended the rules requiring three days of readings to pass it out of the chamber. While lawmakers repeatedly…

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February 9, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Senators Tout Their Tax Proposal as Responsible and Comprehensive

West Virginia MetroNews - Senate President Craig Blair is feeling pretty good about the rollout of a new tax proposal estimated at $600 million. Read the full article. Senators introduced and passed a bill that touches on several sections of the tax code. On Thursday morning, Senate leaders met with House leaders and representatives of…

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February 9, 2023 by Kelly Allen, Sara Whitaker, Rhonda Rogombe
A Recap of the First Half of the Legislative Session

With a relatively short 60-day legislative session, the bills that get considered—and the ones that don’t—tell us a lot about our lawmakers’ priorities. Now that we are exactly halfway through the 2023 session, the WVCBP team lends insight into what we’ve seen prioritized so far and what we would like to see prioritized during the…

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February 8, 2023 by Kelly Allen
West Virginia’s $1 Billion Surplus Sparks Pitched Tax Battle

Associated Press, West Virginia News, WBOY, Times West Virginian,   - West Virginia’s Republican Senate leaders have answered the call to dramatically slash the state personal income tax by voting to shave 15% off the rate, returning about $600 million to residents. The amount is more than half the state’s budget surplus. Read the full article.…

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February 5, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Session is Halfway There; Tax Cut is Living on a Prayer

West Virginia MetroNews - As West Virginia’s regular legislative session reaches its halfway point this coming week, it’s clear there’s still a big gap on Gov. Jim Justice’s top priority, a 50 percent personal income tax reduction over three years. Read the full article. The governor has continued to barnstorm the state to promote the…

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February 4, 2023 by Kelly Allen
West Virginia’s Surplus Tax Revenue, COVID Dollars Come Under Scrutiny

West Virginia News, Weirton Daily Times - West Virginia is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in excess tax revenue and federal COVID-19 relief dollars that lawmakers must consider what to do with. Members of the public are also weighing in on where that money should go. Read the full article. According to the…

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