Tax and Budget

August 23, 2024 by WVCBP
Big Jim’s Numbers are Not Adding Up

Beckley Register-Herald, Fayette Tribune - Gov. Jim Justice, as he does, was acting like he did us all a big favor on Thursday when he announced that the state would increase funding for state programs that help pay for in-home care of those who have a difficult time caring for themselves, primarily lonely and homebound…

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August 19, 2024 by WVCBP
Children of Abuse and Neglect Gain Advocacy Program in Raleigh County

Beckley Register-Herald, Bluefield Daily Telegraph - A West Virginia organization centered on advocating for children who have been abused or neglected to find them a permanent home now has a base in Raleigh County. Read the full article. In July, Kristi Williams Dumas was named the executive director of CASA of New River, based in…

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August 16, 2024 by WVCBP
West Virginia’s Personal Income Tax To Drop 4% Next Year, Justice Says

Associated Press, West Virginia News, Wheeling Intelligencer, Weirton Daily Times, Times West Virginian - West Virginians will see their personal income taxes drop by 4% in the new year, Gov. Jim Justice said. Read the full article. The Republican governor announced Thursday that state revenues had met the threshold to trigger the reduction, set to…

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August 14, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Calls For More Tax Cuts Conflict With Slowing Revenues, Growing Unmet Needs

West Virginia lawmakers are under pressure from Governor Justice to override the tax cut triggering mechanism created as part of the 2023 state income tax law and enact additional cuts on his way out the door. But state revenue and budget pressures, including slowing revenues, costly enacted legislation, and a myriad of unmet needs come…

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August 10, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Statehouse Beat: A Crash Course in State Taxes

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Personally, I don’t believe that Americans in general or West Virginians in particular are lacking intelligence so much as they are consistently uninformed or ill-informed. Read the full article. Case in point: I went on the Twitterverse recently to post an inane comment by Gov. Jim Justice, who claimed, “If we get…

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August 9, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Hope Scholarship Set to Reshape West Virginia Education

WBOY - The Hope Scholarship offers $4,921 for families who would like their children to be educated outside of the public school system. Currently, it’s only available to students entering kindergarten, but in 2026, it will be opened to all students in West Virginia. Read the full article. State Treasurer Riley Moore says that as many as…

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August 6, 2024 by Kelly Allen
WVU Grad Looks At Personal, Statewide Impact Of Hope Scholarship

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Since its implementation in 2021, the Hope Scholarship has been a flashpoint for discussions of school choice and funding for education. Read the full article. As part of her capstone project Jules Ogden, a recent graduate of West Virginia University, looked into the program’s impact on the families that use…

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August 6, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Hope Scholarship Supports Students With Learning Disabilities But Poses Threat To State Budget

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - The Hope Scholarship program has been at the center of statewide debates about public school funding and educational freedom. Critics of the program are concerned about its diversion of funding from public schools, while proponents see the program as an opportunity to individualize education for their children’s needs. Read the…

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July 21, 2024 by Kelly Allen
Statehouse Beat: Hypocrisy from Justice on Taxes, Economy

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - In touting an anticipated additional incremental reduction in state personal income tax rates, Gov. Jim Justice and other tax cut advocates are engaging in an amusing bit of hypocrisy. Read the full article. Under the 2023 law that initially cut income tax rates by 21.25%, there’s a rather complicated formula for calculating…

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