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January 22, 2013 by
Eliminating the Personal Property Tax: Part 6 – Replacing the Revenue

(Continued from part 5 - published 1/14/13) Eliminating the personal property tax would cost a substantial amount of revenue at all levels of government across the state. Eliminating the personal property tax without some replacement revenue would be wildly irresponsible, and would have devastating effects on local services and education throughout the state. And to its credit,…

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April 20, 2022 by
West Virginia’s Labor Force Statistics are Back to Normal. So Why are There Still Missing Workers?

As more West Virginians became vaccinated and a strong federal response boosted the economy, the Mountain State, along with the nation, has enjoyed a strong economic recovery from the pandemic. However, while the state's employment rates have recovered, West Virginia has continued to lose population, contributing to its labor force challenges. In recent months, the…

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September 7, 2015 by
Ed Davis, Jennifer Thacker: Renewing Tax Credits Vital to Working Families

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - Mounds of receipts, a mad dash to beat the clock - that's what comes to mind for many Americans when you mention April 15. But tax season is about much more than paperwork and refund checks. It's about hard work, livelihoods and futures. ReadFor many low-income West Virginia workers, the federal Earned…

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July 23, 2020 by
Addressing Food Insecurity during a Pandemic

As the United States Senate reconvenes to negotiate what may well be the final COVID-19 relief package, addressing food insecurity must be a top priority. The lasting negative impacts of hunger, especially for children, are widely known. Congress has not only the opportunity, but the duty to act to avoid those consequences and support families…

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June 4, 2021 by
American Jobs and Families Plans Provide Critical Aid to West Virginians, Include Revenue Proposals that Make Tax Code Fairer

WVCBP executive director Kelly Allen recently published an op-ed expressing support for the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan, both of which would provide much-needed support to hundreds of thousands of West Virginians simply by asking the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Excerpt below: A higher tax rate on about 1%…

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September 4, 2020 by
SNAP Recertification Processes May Be Worsening Food Insecurity in West Virginia

More than five months after the declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19, legitimate concern is growing that the burden placed on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to comply with the excessive paperwork needed to maintain their food assistance benefits could be heightening food insecurity in West Virginia. Last spring, West Virginia applied…

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March 9, 2012 by
Higher Education Investment Needs Our Attention

In his Friday column,  Paul Krugman points out that state expenditures for higher ed has fallen by 12 percent over the last five years after adjusting for inflation. Krugman highlights that one result of this disinvestment has been a 70 percent growth in inflation-adjusted tuition at public four-year colleges over the last decade. This got…

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February 19, 2013 by
Child Poverty in West Virginia: A Growing and Persistent Problem

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) report, this new report revisits many of the same measures of well-being that ARC researchers examined a half-century ago. This analysis, however, focuses its attention on West Virginia, the one state that exists entirely within the federally designated Appalachian region, and, more…

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June 15, 2020 by
Cracker Plant Won’t Bring Petrochemical Jobs Boom to Ohio, Experts Warn

The Columbus Dispatch, MSN.com, Akron Beacon Journal, Cleveland.com - Experts caution Ohio saying a proposed multi-billion dollar petrochemical plant may be a non-starter due to market conditions. Read article. With the price of plastic plummeting and a global oversaturation of ethane-ethylene cracker plants and plastics manufacturing, experts are cautioning Ohio about moving forward with an…

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June 15, 2020 by
Tri-State Economists Warn Leaders ‘Dirty Industry’ Won’t Bring the Jobs They’re Banking On

ABC27.com, WTRF.com - Regional economists are warning tri-state governors that the petrochemical boom is a ‘non-starter’… meaning the Ethane Cracker Plant potentially making its way to Dilles Bottom could be a giant leap in the wrong direction. Read article. Citing a years-long trend of declining profit margins of the Beaver County plant, a group of faculty…

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