West Virginia Watch - About four months out from an election that could make him West Virginia’s next U.S. senator, Gov. Jim Justice on Monday announced that the state has hit the trigger to phase out its personal income taxes while also directing the Legislature to convene for a special session to increase those tax…
Tax and Budget
AP, US News, Caledonian Record, Times West Virginian - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Monday that state revenue collections appeared to hit a benchmark at the end of the fiscal year that could trigger an additional reduction in the state income tax, and he plans to call lawmakers back to address further cuts as…
West Virginia MetroNews - Just before cutting a ribbon that said “taxes” and admiring a balloon drop, Gov. Jim Justice today said the state is on track for another automatic personal income tax cut of 3% to 4% — and the governor said he would call legislators in for a cut even beyond that. Read…
West Virginia Watch, Beckley Register-Herald, Times West Virginian - As August approaches, state leaders are still uncertain about what the impact could be of the impending trigger that could — depending on revenue collections — bring an end to the state’s personal income tax and, in turn, a budget deficit of unknown proportions. Read the…
West Virginia's latest revenue report shows that the state continues to feel the impact of income tax cuts. As of May 2024, and with one month left in the fiscal year, FY 2024 General Revenue collections are $800.2 million, or 13.6 percent, below FY 2023 collections. Income tax revenue collections in May of FY 2024…
Earlier this month, state lawmakers met in Charleston for a special session mostly to allocate funding for budget needs that were shorted when they passed the state budget in March. Of 15 bills passed, 12 dealt with appropriations and state spending, with lawmakers continuing a troubling trend of using one-time surplus funds to pay for…
Mountain State Spotlight - Just two years after changing it, lawmakers have taken another whack at the Rainy Day Fund formula. Read the full article. But that change could lead to problems later on, according to one policy expert. The Rainy Day Fund — West Virginia’s emergency fund — has been around since 1994. While it’s been…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - The West Virginia House of Delegates refused to concur with the state Senate’s amendment to Senate Bill 1001 in a late-night session Monday. Read the full article. Senate Bill 1001 and its counterpart, House Bill 101, aim to restore funding to the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services, focused…
West Virginia MetroNews - Lawmakers have rolled into a special session focusing on the state’s level of funding for human services plus additional surplus spending priorities. Read the full article. Senators on Sunday evening took up more than a dozen bills and passed about half of them without much disagreement or discussion. The Senate’s Republican…
West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia lawmakers expect to convene for a special session starting Sunday, focusing on the state’s level of funding for human services plus additional surplus spending priorities. Read the full article. The expectation is that the special session will gavel in late Sunday afternoon with the likelihood of continuing into Monday.…