Introduction Heading into the COVID-19 pandemic, West Virginia was already facing an economic crisis. The natural gas boom had fizzled, and in the months leading up to the pandemic, the Mountain State was steadily losing jobs and experiencing weak income and GDP growth. In 2019, West Virginia’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, the fourth highest…
Tax and Budget
Daily Athenaeum - West Virginia has a problem that has been coming for a long time. The issue has existed for decades, as coal and surrounding industries left the state. West Virginia’s population is declining. Read the full op-ed. In the last Census, the population in West Virginia dropped by 3.2% — or about 59,000…
Once again, West Virginia's budget "surplus" is being used to justify a push to reduce or eliminate the state's personal income tax. However, the state's current surplus isn’t a sign that West Virginia’s economy is uncharacteristically strong or that tax revenues are greater than is needed for the state budget; rather, it has been driven…
The State Journal - West Virginia voters rejected the much-discussed Amendment 2 during the Nov. 8 election, but its underlying issues will remain very much in play during the upcoming session of the West Virginia Legislature. Read the full article. Republicans — who control the West Virginia House of Delegates, West Virginia Senate and the…
Times West Virginian, Yahoo News - Marion County officials are breathing a sigh of relief after learning that West Virginia voters rejected Amendment 2. Read the full article. Amendment 2, also known as the Property Tax Modernization Act, was intended to entice businesses to move to West Virginia by amending the state constitution to allow…
Public News Service - Some parents said they have struggled to make ends meet after federal monthly Child Tax Credit payments of between $300 and $360 a month per child stopped last December. Without the extra cash, some West Virginians anticipate not being able to afford basic necessities as consumer goods and gas prices continue…
West Virginia MetroNews - Constitutional amendments were headed toward defeat as results came in Election Night. Read the full article. With more than three quarters of all precincts across the state reporting, Amendment One on impeachment powers was being voted down 219,792 to 157,161. Amendment Two, the highest profile measure about property taxes, was being…
For Immediate Release: November 8, 2022 Contact: Kelly Allen, (304)-612-4180 Charleston, WV – Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, released the following statement in response to the defeat of Amendments 2 and 4: “These results are a win for West Virginia workers, families, students, and teachers. Together, West Virginians rejected…
West Virginia News - The people of West Virginia have spoken, Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday evening. Read the full article. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the state’s proposed Amendment 2, according to unofficial results from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. With 40 of the state’s 55 counties reporting at least partial results as of…
The Inter-Mountain, Wheeling Intelligencer - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says it’s time to “get serious” and think about what might happen if Amendment 2, “The Property Tax Modernization Amendment,” passes in next week’s general election. Read the full article. If approved, the measure would give the West Virginia Legislature authority to exempt machines and equipment directly used in…