West Virginia
Since the 2007-2009 economic crisis, rising income inequality and the role our public policies play in aiding or easing this trend have been an ongoing part of the public discourse. In spite of what we know about the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us, federal and state policymakers continue to sell […]
This week brings more news of states facing budget crunches, a new state looking to eliminate income taxes, and plans to raise gas taxes to fund transportation projects. Be sure to check out the What We’re Reading section for a look at how repealing federal health reform could add to those crunches and a review […]
Bloomberg BNA: Congress, Courts, Oil Among Pressures on State Budgets
January 23, 2017
“A further problem facing oil states such as Oklahoma, Louisiana, North Dakota and West Virginia is deep cuts they made to severance and other taxes “when times were good,” Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, told Bloomberg BNA.” Read more
State Rundown 1/18: Revenue Woes Piling Up Faster Than Solutions
January 18, 2017 • By ITEP Staff
This week we continue to track revenue shortfalls, governors’ budget proposals, and other tax news around the country, finding most proposals to be focused on slashing taxes and reducing public investments despite public opinion and economic research showing the benefits of well-funded state services and progressive tax policies. — Meg Wiehe, ITEP State Policy Director, […]
State Rundown 1/11: State Legislative Sessions Kick Off Amid Uncertainty
January 11, 2017 • By ITEP Staff
This week brings still more states looking for solutions to revenue shortfalls, multiple governors’ State of The State addresses, important reading on counter-transparency and local-preemption efforts, and more. — Meg Wiehe, ITEP State Policy Director, @megwiehe A Nebraska legislator this week diagnosed the state’s $900 million revenue shortfall in plain terms, describing it as “self-inflicted […]
West Virginia Metro News: West Virginia fuel tax drops on New Year’s, but is it cause to celebrate?
January 3, 2017
“Since 2013, 19 states have made changes to the way their gas tax is calculated, said Carl Davis, research director for The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. There had been years and years and sometimes even procrastination in the states,” said Davis, who studies a variety of issues related to state and federal tax […]
USA Today: 7 states will have higher gas taxes Jan. 1
December 28, 2016
“Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana and Florida will each see modest gas tax increases of less than a penny per gallon, based on automatic adjustments in those states, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Two states — New York and West Virginia — will have slight reductions based on automatic adjustments, according to […]
The concept of taxing sodas and other sugary beverages has gained traction recently across the United States and around the world. The World Health Organization officially recommended a tax on sugar sweetened beverages as a way to battle the obesity epidemic. In the US, multiple states and localities have looked to taxes on sugar sweetened beverages as a way to improve public health and increase revenue. In 2014, Berkeley, California became the first U.S. locality to enact such a tax. In 2016, similar taxes were enacted in Boulder, Colorado; Albany, Oakland, and San Francisco, California; Cook County, Illinois; and Philadelphia,…
State lawmakers seeking to make residential property taxes more affordable have two broad options: across-the-board tax cuts for taxpayers at all income levels, such as a homestead exemption or a tax cap, and targeted tax breaks that are given only to particular groups of low- and middle-income taxpayers. One such targeted program to reduce property taxes is called a "circuit breaker" because it protects taxpayers from a property tax "overload" just like an electric circuit breaker: when a property tax bill exceeds a certain percentage of a taxpayer's income, the circuit breaker reduces property taxes in excess of this "overload"…
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy: Modernizing West Virginia’s Marijuana Laws
August 18, 2016
“Over the last two decades, states across the country have modernized their marijuana laws to reflect the growing evidence that doing so will help reduce criminal justice costs, help treat some medical conditions, and boost tax revenues and their state’s economy. As of 2016, four states and the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational […]
The sharp decline in oil prices since summer 2014 has allowed consumers to save hundreds of dollars annually at the pump, but it also has left some energy producing states clamoring to come up with policy ideas to make up for lost revenue.
Sales Tax Holidays: An Ineffective Alternative to Real Sales Tax Reform
July 11, 2016 • By Meg Wiehe
This brief was updated July 2018 Read this Policy Brief in PDF here. Sales taxes are an important revenue source, composing close to half of all state tax revenues.[1] But sales taxes are also inherently regressive because the lower a family’s income, the more the family must spend on goods and services subject to the […]
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy: New Revenues to Balance the Budget Don’t Have to be Regressive
May 17, 2016
“Last week, Governor Tomblin finally issued the call for the legislature to come back into a special session to balance the FY 2017 budget. The special session will begin today, May 16th, and the governor will once again submit a budget proposal for the legislature to consider. During the regular session, Governor Tomblin proposed $130 […]
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy: Your Guide to the State Budget
April 5, 2016
“The state budget directly affects everyone living in West Virginia. It is the one law that makes state government function. It defines how we plan to use our resources to do the things together that cannot be done alone, such as creating good schools for our children, protecting the environment, making our communities safe, making […]
CNBC: Pothole season brings little new funding to fix them
April 5, 2016
Other states, including Indiana, South Carolina and West Virginia, have considered similar moves. But so far, those measures haven’t gotten very far, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a tax research group. “Legislators in all three states embraced partial solutions or punted entirely, preferring short-term fixes at the expense of other […]
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy: A Tax Cut That Works for Working Families: A West Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit
February 10, 2016
“Too many working families in West Virginia are paid low wages and have trouble making ends meet, with basic living expenses stretching family budgets beyond their limits. With tax overhaul a main topic in front of the legislature, a bottom-up tax cut like a state Earned Income Tax Credit that would help people who work […]
WUNC: Under New Tax Plan, Timing Belt Change Would Cost $30 More On This Volkswagen Jetta
September 18, 2015
“Sen. Josh Stein, a Democrat from Wake County, disagrees. He says the plan would favor high-wage earners because everyone pays the same income tax—instead of lower rates for people who make less money, as was the case in previous North Carolina tax models—and new consumer service taxes take up a bigger proportion of the […]
Sales Tax Holidays: An Ineffective Alternative to Real Sales Tax Reform
July 22, 2015 • By Lisa Christensen Gee
Lawmakers in many states have enacted "sales tax holidays" (at least 17 states will hold them in 2015), to provide a temporary break on paying the tax on purchases of clothing, computers and other items. While these holidays may seem to lessen the regressive impacts of the sales tax, their benefits are minimal. This policy brief examines the many problems associated with sales tax holidays and concludes that they have more political than policy benefits.
Read this report in PDF form Introduction For years, academics and transportation experts have been discussing the possibility of taxing drivers for each mile they travel on the nation’s roads. This “vehicle miles traveled tax” (VMT tax) could either supplement or replace the existing gas tax as the primary method of funding transportation infrastructure. To […]
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy: Gutting the Personal Income is a Poor Strategy
May 20, 2015
As this post shows, the personal income tax is not only the largest source of revenue from state residents but it is also a progressive tax that helps reduce income inequality and pay for important budget priorities like education, higher education and health and human services. In the next post, we will explore whether the […]
Bloomberg: Will State Legislatures Pass Gas Tax Hikes This Year?
February 11, 2015
However, the kind of funding structure that Maryland put in place has been called good policy by organizations like the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a non-profit, non-partisan research organization in Washington, D.C., because the inflation adjustment allows the revenue’s buying power to keep up with transportation expenses over time. Flat-rate taxes do […]
West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy: Low- and Middle-Income Taxpayers in West Virginia Pay a Higher Tax Rate than the Richest West Virginians
January 21, 2015
A new study released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy finds that the low- and middle-income West Virginians pay more in state and local taxes as a percent of their income compared to the state’s wealthiest residents. Read the full report
Morgan County USA: Low and Middle Income West Virginians Pay Higher Tax Rate than Richest West Virginians
January 15, 2015
“A new study released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy finds that the low- and middle-income West Virginians pay more in state and local taxes as a percent of their income compared to the state’s wealthiest residents. The study, Who Pays?, analyzes […]
Charleston Daily Mail: Remembering the Sales Tax Holiday
August 6, 2014
By Jared Hunt With students set to return to school this month, many parents are once again going through their annual ritual of back-to-school shopping. It might not be an enjoyable experience, if Huntington Bank’s latest “Backpack Index” price gauge — which estimated some parents could pay up to 20 percent more for supplies this […]
Sales Tax Holidays: An Ineffective Alternative to Real Sales Tax Reform
August 5, 2014 • By Meg Wiehe
Sales taxes are an important revenue source, comprising close to half of all state revenues in 2013. But sales taxes are also inherently regressive because the lower a family's income, the more of its income the family must spend on things subject to the tax.
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