The Dominion Post - Severance tax trust funds are a good way for fracking states to turn a finite revenue source into long-term stability to ride out inevitable boom-bust cycles. That's the essence of a report issued this past week by the Brookings Institute, an esteemed nonpartisan D.C. think tank. ReadWest Virginia has such a…
WVCBP in the News
The State Journal - A group of Republican lawmakers in the West Virginia House of Delegates remains adamantly opposed to raising taxes to help plug an expected $270 million hole in next year's state budget. ReadThe group of 13 delegates recently wrote to House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, repeating objections to any budget deal that…
The State Journal - West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said he was disappointed but not surprised the state's failing economy has led to a downgrading of West Virginia's bond ratings. Read"Throughout my years of public service, I've worked hard to create a strong West Virginia by improving the state's business climate, addressing our long-term…
The State Journal - West Virginia is no stranger to the effects the boom-and-bust cycles of coal and natural gas can have on an economy. ReadThe Mountain State, which has largely been reliant on coal and natural gas production for decades, is struggling to stay afloat. Low fuel prices and weak global markets have caused…
Coal Tattoo Blog - There's a new report out from the Bookings Institute that's worth taking a look at. Here's what the press release says: ReadThe recent boom and bust of unconventional oil and gas development, or "fracking," has reopened serious questions about resource management in many U.S. states. While the oil and gas boom…
West Virginia Public News Service - Some Republican lawmakers say a state Earned Income Tax Credit would add jobs by rebuilding West Virginia's workforce. ReadThe EITC is a line on federal tax forms that rewards work by low-income families. About half of states also have a state EITC. Del. Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell County, said some…
The State Journal - While leaders in the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates ponder what to do with a $270 million hole in the state budget, a coalition of family service organizations, religious leaders, business owners and at least two lawmakers are urging the adoption of a state Earned Income Tax Credit to…
Huntington Herald-Dispatch -In the final days of the 2016 income-tax season, two lawmakers from Cabell and Kanawha counties have teamed up to push for legislation to create an earned income tax credit in West Virginia. ReadWhile Senate and House of Delegates leadership and budget committee members were working to find a compromise on how to…
The State Journal - For decades, West Virginia's lawmakers have relied on severance taxes from the state's vast coal reserves to help balance the state's budget. The seemingly never-ending stream of coal flowing out of the state's mountains was a predictable and significant source of revenue, and a major source of funding for a state…
Charleston Gazette - Regardless of who is elected president, the coal industry of southern West Virginia will continue vanishing, former Sen. Jay Rockefeller warned a National Energy Conference last week in Morgantown. Federal pollution laws will be upheld by courts, he said, no matter how much they're attacked by coal-state politicians. ReadHis sobering words were…