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…
Tax and Budget
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…
WCHS - Jessica Keyes is the mom of a 7-year-old boy who attends school in Mason County but said he will not be returning this school year. Read the full article. "The decision came this year, honestly, because my son's one-on-one aid kept changing," Keyes said. She told Eyewitness News she is in the process…
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…
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…
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…
Updated August 9, 2024. Much of the hype around personal income tax cuts has centered on West Virginia’s competitiveness to attract people and businesses to the state. Because most interstate migration happens among border states, it’s worth taking a look at West Virginia’s competitiveness compared to our neighboring states. The data shows that while West…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - West Virginia residents are expected to receive a 4 percent reduction to their income taxes in 2025, with more cuts potentially on the horizon. Read the full article. While announcing the cuts at a virtual press briefing Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice said he plans to call a special session of…
West Virginia MetroNews, Charleston Gazette-Mail - Governor Jim Justice wants to double down on tax cuts. Read the full article. Last week, Justice held a ceremony to announce that general revenue collections for the just-completed fiscal year would reach a level to trigger another three to four percent reduction in the state’s marginal income tax…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Earlier this week, Gov. Jim Justice stood on a stage with balloons, banners and giant scissors to celebrate what his team hailed as a historic revenue announcement. The announcement? State revenues hit a complicated trigger formula which will automatically reduce the personal income tax by about $80 million — resulting in an…