Register-Herald - Lawmakers are taking a stab at tax reform, promising improved economic growth and a better business climate. But based on tax reform results of the past, the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy says that state residents should be skeptical of any new reconstitution of tax policy, particularly if it comes from…
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West Virginia Public News Service - As West Virginia lawmakers consider reforming the state's tax code, the West Virginia Center On Budget and Policy is arguing that it needs to be made fairer to low- and middle-income families. ReadOver time, said Ted Boettner, executive director of the center, the state's tax system gradually has come…
Charleston Gazette - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is taking a cautious approach to the newly formed legislative Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform, calling on panel to be mindful of the state's "fiscally responsible policies" as it pursues any possible tax cuts. Read"As Senate president and as governor, Gov. Tomblin has worked hard to cut…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting -A select group of West Virginia lawmakers began an arduous process Monday, combing through the state's current tax code and finding ways to bring it "into the 21st Century," as one delegate put it. Read. Listen.The Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform was one of only four committees to meet during…
The State Journal -An interim committee tasked with examining West Virginia's tax structure will have meetings in May to hear from experts on tax reform. Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer, said he hoped creating a committee to focus on the issue of taxes would promote economic growth in the Mountain State. ReadHouse Speaker Tim Armstead,…
Charleston Gazette -Launching the inaugural meeting of a new legislative interim committee on tax reform Monday, Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer, cited the American Legislative Exchange Council's "Rich States, Poor States" report, which in its most recent edition dropped West Virginia from 30th to 36th in its rankings. ReadIn talking with the authors of the…
The State Journal - As southern Appalachia's coal fields continue to shrink with the industry's gradual decline, West Virginia is struggling to keep the state's workforce balanced. ReadOne study, authored by Drew Haerer, a research analyst with Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, and Lincoln Pratson, a professor of Earth and ocean sciences with…
Charleston Gazette - West Virginia is losing population faster than any other state in the country, according to newly released U.S. Census figures. ReadWest Virginia lost nearly 3,300 residents last year, the Census Bureau said. That amounts to about 0.2 percent of the Mountain State's 2013 population.While that might not sound like a lot, it's…
Charleston Gazette - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed the 2015-16 state budget bill Monday evening, but not before cutting roughly $2.8 million more from higher education than legislators had approved. ReadThat's according to a review by Sean O'Leary, policy analyst for the nonprofit West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, who said the Democratic governor…
Charleston Gazette - After meeting in closed session for more than an hour Monday, Kanawha County school board members said they had given their superintendent a positive annual evaluation – and one member said the others favor of a raise. ReadSuperintendent Ron Duerring -- who makes $157,500 per year and has been superintendent for 17…