Charleston Gazette-Mail - Proponents of a $1 increase in West Virginia's tobacco tax said Thursday that the struggling proposal is a "no-brainer" for the state with some of the highest rates of smoking among both teens and adults and an existing tax lower than that of 45 other states. ReadOn Thursday, a coalition representing members…
WVCBP in the News
The State Journal - West Virginia will save tens of millions of dollars in medical costs if lawmakers increase the taxes on tobacco products, local health care providers say. ReadMembers of the policy research group West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy and local health care providers hosted a news conference Thursday, April 28 to…
WV Metro News - An increase of at least $1 to the state tax on a pack of cigarettes could make the difference for West Virginia's physical and fiscal health, according to representatives from a coalition of West Virginia education, public health and faith-based community organizations. ReadAs state budget talks continue, those groups came together…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - As the Legislature discusses the West Virginia budget, I hope that they will bring a smart business approach to our budget dilemmas. Nobody like taxes but everybody wants good roads, good schools, health care, police protection and other services that require investments by our state. Read West Virginia legislators should understand that…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Under new requirements to either work or be in training, 1,566 West Virginians will lose their food stamp benefits beginning next month, according to the state Department of Health and Human Resources. Meanwhile the state is reviewing a request from legal advocacy group Mountain State Justice to exclude the chronically homeless from…
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…
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…