On Friday, July 21, Executive Director Ted Boettner presented at the WVCBP’s 2017 Summer Policy Institute. The presentation covers what West Virginia's state budget pays for, where revenue comes from, how tax and spending decisions impact families and our economy, and the state's ongoing budget crisis. Here is his presentation.
Tax and Budget
When lawmakers passed a "bare-bones" state budget, some lawmakers expressed that the state government needs to "live within its means" because of our "shrinking population and tax base." Other lawmakers have suggested that our state budget is too big and that we will need to "continue making cuts to programs and services" and that we should…
This week, Governor Justice said he would let the state budget become law instead of signing it because the budget contained so many cuts ( a "travesty") and that his proposed tax plans failed to become law. Governor Justice mostly blamed Democrats and Republicans in the House of Delegates, along with the Senate Democrats, for…
Heidi Holliday, Executive Director of the Kansas Center for Economic Growth You're welcome, America. Our state, Kansas, just wrapped up a 5-year long experiment in governance from which the other 49 states can now glean some important lessons. The Kansas Legislature has voted to roll back much of the 2012 package of tax cuts…
Earlier this week, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy examined the fiscal impact of the proposed compromise tax plan between Governor Justice and Senate leadership that will influence how the budget is finalized. It appears House leadership is saying "nope" to this plan and it is unclear how the plan would close the state's…
On the last night of the 2017 Legislative Session, the Senate and the Governor appeared to have worked on a tax plan compromise bill that would make sweeping changes to the state's tax system that would exacerbate our state's budget crisis and shift the tax load onto working families to make room for tax breaks…
This West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Issue Brief, On the Brink: Closing West Virginia’s Budget Gap, released today, details the various budget proposals offered by Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Legislature to close the state’s nearly $500 million budget deficit. Read the full brief. The legislature passed a budget with major cuts…
On October 7th, voters in West Virginia overwhelmingly approved a $1.6 billion general obligation bond to invest in the state’s road system. This is on top of the estimated $500 million in Turnpike Bonds and $500 million in federal GARVEE road bonds that were approved during the special legislative session earlier this year, along with about $130 million in increased State Road Fund revenues to…
Today, the House approved a tax plan (SB 484) that broadens the sales tax base and lowers the rate to balance the House's budget (HB 2018). Altogether, the tax plan is expected to increase tax revenue in its first two years, while lowering tax revenue by year three. This is because of revenue triggers in…
The state Senate's version of the FY 2018 budget bill has been released, giving a glimpse into how the legislature plans to close the state's budget gap. The Senate's bill spends $402.6 million less from the General Revenue Fund than Governor Justice's proposed budget, meaning that once again, the budget is being balanced largely through spending…