The WV state legislature has failed again to provide a yearly budget for the state of WV for the second year in a row in a timely manner. West Virginia currently has a budget hole of about 400 million dollars, due to tax cuts including eliminating the sales tax on groceries, eliminating the state business franchise tax and cutting the corporate net tax from 8.5 percent to 6.5 percent. - See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-columnists/20170506/statehouse-beat-questions-and-answers-about-the-budget#sthash.7OBWkHjP.dpuf
The new proposed budget that failed contained: slashed income taxes, lowered coal severance taxes, eliminated natural gas severance taxes and imposed a variation of Gov. Jim Justice’s proposed “millionaire tax.” - See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170505/wv-house-again-rejects-bill-10-day-recess-called-#sthash.VryP93n0.dpuf and is projected to cut income tax collections by about $360 million in calendar year 2018, the first full year it would be in effect. - See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170508/budget-negotiations-continue#sthash.MGa24g2B.dpuf and would raise about $260 million a year by raising the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent and by eliminating some sales tax exemptions, the largest being a current exemption on telecommunications services, primarily on cellphone plans. - See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170508/budget-negotiations-continue#sthash.MGa24g2B.dpuf
For the current fiscal year, that would raise revenue by about 120 million dollars, until the next fiscal year when the tax cuts would go into effect, creating a new revenue hole. Possibly leading to more cuts for state funding of public schools, higher education, infrastructure, Medicaid, generally cuts to any service that is provided to the working class by the state.
You can see whats going on, the wealthy in our state are set to get a big tax break, and the tax burden is going to shift even more over to the working class, while not sufficiently paying the states bills. I realize that the Democrats are in a bad way here. Republicans have control over the House and the Senate, and its the Republicans in charge that put off working on the budget until too late in the regular session. I believe Republicans in the House and Senate did that, so they could threaten Democrats with the possibility of a government shut down if Democrats don't go along with the Republican tax breaks for the wealthy and tax increases on the working class. Which is worse, digging the hole deeper into the budget and cutting government services for a rich mans tax break to keep the government running? Or, a government shut down, where the Democrats have no hope of winning for the working class a progressive tax and funding of the government services?
I ask you to petition your Delegate in the House and Senator in the Senate to please come up with a Budget plan that doesn't tax the working class more, that doesn't cut government services and doesn't create new budget holes next year by giving a tax break to the wealthy the state cant afford. Simply go to the link on the right hand column to find your representatives in the West Virginia State Legislature. Give them a call, write an email, write a letter. Just let them know where you stand.
I also want to say thanks to the Charleston Gazette for the great articles.
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-columnists/20170506/statehouse-beat-questions-and-answers-about-the-budget
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170505/wv-house-again-rejects-bill-10-day-recess-called-
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170508/budget-negotiations-continue
