Over the last decade or so, local governments entities in West Virginia have used a myriad of business property tax incentives to reward or induce local economic development projects. These can include tax increment financing or TIFs, lease agreements, tax credits (e.g. local B&O), issuing bonds to purchase property, and the use of Payment in…
Taxes
A recent article in Vox by David Roberts highlights how a coal mining bust in Wyoming is resulting in "vulture capitalism" as investors buy up bankrupt coal mines while coal executives receive large bonuses and the communities in Wyoming struggle with thousands of laid off workers, lost pensions, environmental degradation, and an undiversified economy. This…
Lawmakers in Congress have recently announced five different proposals to either expand existing tax credits of create new ones. While each proposals has its differences, each one would also benefit low- and moderate-income people, particularly in West Virginia. Low- and middle-income West Virginians would see much greater benefits under any of the tax credit proposal…
Working families with low- and moderate-incomes often struggle to keep afloat and many childless adults are often taxed into poverty. On April 10, 2019, Senators Sherrod Brown, Michael Bennet, Richard Durbin, and Ron Wyden introduced the “Working Families Tax Relief Act” that aims to expand both the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as well as…
The State Supreme Court heard several cases earlier this month on oil and natural gas property taxes that could have a significant impact on local government and school district finances, and also potentially impact the state budget. At issue is how the State Tax Department calculates production expenses on natural gas wells. When valuing oil and…
On Crossover Day, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed two bills that have the intended purpose of boosting coal production and putting coal miners back to work. Unfortunately, they chose to do so in a very ineffective and expensive way, through cuts and rebates to the severance tax. HB 3142 would cut the severance…
House Income Tax Cut Plan Mostly Benefits Wealthy and Puts Large Holes in the State Budget (HB 3137)
On Wednesday, the House Finance Committee originated HB 3137 that would reduce the state's five personal income tax rates by a half of a percentage point (0.5%) each time a newly created "personal income tax reduction fund" that is funded by online sales taxes and lottery revenues reaches a balance of $200 million. Since higher-income…
Making ends meet is a struggle for many West Virginians employed in lower-wage jobs. In fact, 23% of workers in West Virginia are employed in low-wage jobs and a quarter of those live in poverty. People working in their communities as daycare workers, restaurant servers, home health aides, administrative assistants, and many other lower-income jobs deserve to be able to…
For years some lawmakers have pushed for eliminating or greatly reducing property taxes on business personal property. The result could mean shifting tax responsibilities onto people, more reductions in vital services such as schools, or a combination of both. During the 2019 Legislative Session, there have been two proposals for a constitutional amendment to eliminate or…