Issue: Fair Taxation

As a member of the Coalition for West Virginia Families, WV CAG is looking for ways to make our tax system less regressive. We support the Coalition’s recommendation that families making below poverty-level wages be exempted from paying state income tax and will work to introduce legislation accomplishing this objective.

On the other end of the scale, we must continually push for large mineral holdings to be assessed at fair market value in order to provide revenue for local schools and services. The repeal of the “Managed timber land tax credit” for large timber companies is a major priority of WV CAG.

125 posts found, showing 20 per page

Newsletter article Julie Archer March 14, 2023
Legislature Abdicates Responsibility on ARPA Funds, but Governor Justice Can Still Do the Right Thing
On March 7th, advocates gathered at the Capitol to draw attention to the many justice and fairness issues legislators have either ignored or worsened this session, and to demand that a portion of the state’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds be invested in West Virginia families and communities. ARPA represents a rare and historic opportunity to invest in strategic projects to address poverty and other social determinants of health in West Virginia’s poorest communities. More
Issues: ARPA, Budget priorities, Economic Justice, Equity, Fair taxation, Poverty

Newsletter article Gary Zuckett March 14, 2023
Gary’s Wrap-up: The Final Daze
Our state employees will be using most, if not all, of their $2,300 pay raise to pay for the increases in premiums and co-pays on their PEIA health plans... But hey, let’s give away $700 million in tax revenue and make state workers spend their raise on healthcare… More
Issues: Budget priorities, Criminal Justice, Discrimination, Fair taxation, Health Insurance, Healthcare, Incarceration, Medicaid

Press Release   March 9, 2023
BIDEN’S BUDGET & TAX PLAN FAVORS WORKING FAMILIES AND DRAWS STARK CONTRAST WITH GOP PRIORITIES 
Sticking to his commitment since the 2020 campaign to make the rich and corporations start paying their fair share of taxes and use that money to create an economy that works for all of us. Biden’s budget stands in sharp contrast with the policies of Congressional Republicans, who want to slash services vital to working families and hike deficits by up to $3 trillion by extending Trump tax cuts benefiting the rich.  More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation, Medicaid, Medicare, Our children, Social security, Taxes

Newsletter article Gary Zuckett March 7, 2023
Crossover Chaos
The House passed 264 of their bills and the Senate sent 235 over to the House. Bills that never moved across the aisle are now in the recycling bin, that is unless they get amended into another bill that’s still moving. Now the race continues until midnight this Saturday, when all activity of the 2023 legislative session grinds to a halt. More
Issues: ARPA, Budget priorities, Fair taxation, Health Insurance, Healthcare, Medicaid, Oil and Gas, Pollution, Prescription Drug Prices, water quality

Action Alert   March 1, 2023
Don’t Let the Senate Decimate the Budget
The Legislature's tax scheming continues with the Senate's new "compromise" plan, which would be devastating to all West Virginians when it blows holes in the budget, forcing more and more income tax cuts for the wealthy. Instead, we should be investing in health care, public education, infrastructure, and other public services. Tell your legislators: No tax cuts until our needs are met! More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation

Newsletter article Gary Zuckett February 28, 2023
Working Through the Weekend
The Legislature worked over the weekend to move bills ahead of Wednesday’s crossover deadline. As has been the case these past sessions, more bad bills are moving than ones we’d like to see pass. More
Issues: Discrimination, Fair taxation, Healthcare, Inequality, Kids and families, Medicaid, Pollution, Poverty, Prescription Drug Prices, Solar Power

Newsletter article Gary Zuckett February 21, 2023
Either Tax Cut Plan Will Put WV Underwater
Last Monday, Governor Justice held a pro-tax cut roundtable at the Culture Center with none other than Grover Norquist who’s famous quote is, "I'm not in favor of abolishing the government. I just want to shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation

Newsletter article Gary Zuckett February 7, 2023
Remarks at Public Hearing for HB 2883 on Allocation of ARPA Funds
According to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s final rule, ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds are intended to “provide state, local, and tribal governments with the resources needed to respond to the pandemic and its economic effects and to build a stronger, more equitable economy during the recovery.” More
Issues: ARPA, CARES Act, Fair taxation

Newsletter article Julie Archer February 7, 2023
Tax & Budget, Culture Wars and Other Bill Action
The Governor continued his roadshow to promote his personal income tax cut proposal, but the plan is going nowhere fast in the Senate... More
Issues: Fair Representation, Fair taxation, Healthcare, Immigration, Inequality, WV Legislature

Action Alert Gary Zuckett January 28, 2023
Keep WV Funded: Take Action to Stop Dangerous Tax Cuts!
Right now the Governor and the Legislature are sparring over the best way to give tax cuts to the wealthy and big businesses — at our expense. Every West Virginian would pay the price because of the gaps that would be left in the state budget. We need a budget that reflects our priorities: investments in programs that benefit all West Virginians, not tax cuts for the wealthiest. Tell the Governor and your legislators: No tax cuts until our needs are met! More
Issues: Budget priorities, Education, Fair taxation, Health Care, Infrastructure, Kids and families

Citizen Action Group Blog Gary Zuckett January 23, 2023
Battle of the Tax Cuts
The House quickly passed the governor’s bad idea of eliminating one quarter of our state’s annual revenue by cutting 50% off personal income taxes over the next three years. However, Senate leadership has deemed HB 2526 DOA and, not to be outdone, they’re cooking up their own tax cuts. Regardless of how the Legislature lands on these cuts, regular West Virginians lose. Now is the time to make your voice heard on this lose-lose proposition! More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation, Kids and families

Newsletter   January 16, 2023
Capital Eye Vol. 16, No. 1 – Legislative Update Week 1: What’s the Rush?
The legislative session started out with a BANG on day one as the Senate leadership promptly used their super majority to suspend the rules, ram through 23 bills and send them to the House. The House is moving mostly at the normal pace, but their Finance committee pulled a fast one on Thursday and added the governor’s 50% personal income tax cut to their agenda at the last minute and passed it out to the floor. Keep reading for more on the big things that happend during the first week of the 2023 legislative, along with actions you can take, and resources for staying up to date. More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation, Health Care, Inequality, Kids and families, Voting Rights

Newsletter article Julie Archer January 16, 2023
Big Things That Happened – Week 1
Here’s a quick recap of the big things that happened during the first week of the 2023 legislative session.  More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation, Healthcare, Kids and families

Citizen Action Group Blog Eve Marcum-Atkinson January 12, 2023
NAACP and others deliver an address on the “State of WV Children and Families”
In response to the Governor's State of the State address, groups gathered at the capitol to speak on the budget, and how the status quo is hurting WV children and families. More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation, Inequality, Kids and families, Poverty, WV Legislature

Press Release Gary Zuckett December 20, 2022
ATF Release: In Blocking Renewal Of Three Corporate Tax Breaks, Congress Is Poised To Win One For Tax Fairness
In a victory for tax fairness, Congress has rejected in the newly released omnibus spending package the renewal of three major tax breaks urgently sought by big corporations, which were part of the 2017 Trump-GOP tax law. Together they could have cost $600 billion in lost revenue over 10 years. More
Issues: Fair taxation, Inequality, Taxes

Citizen Action Group Blog Julie Archer October 24, 2022
Much At Stake With Proposed Constitutional Amendments
In addition to the congressional, legislative, county and local elected offices that will appear on the ballot this November, voters must also consider four separate amendments to the state’s constitution. Here’s a refresher on what’s at stake with these proposed changes to the West Virginia Constitution.  More
Issues: Budget priorities, Elections, Fair Courts, Fair taxation, Taxes, Voting

Action Alert CAG August 24, 2022
Tele-Town Hall on the Inflation Reduction Act & Tax Fairness
Join West Virginians United for a Tele-Town Hall regarding the Inflation Reduction Act & Tax Fairness on Thursday, August 25th at 6pm! More
Issues: Fair taxation, Taxes

Press Release Gary Zuckett August 8, 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Senate Democrats Pass Manchin’s Inflation Reduction Act To Lower Drug Prices, Make Health Care & Energy Costs More Affordable, and Deal with Climate Change
Following the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill set to enact historic drug pricing reform, lower energy costs and reduce the national deficit, Gary Zuckett, Executive Director of WV Citizen Action Group released the following statement: More
Issues: Climate Change, Deficit, Fair taxation, Health Care, Inflation, Medicaid, Medicare, Prescription Drug Prices

Citizen Action Group Blog   August 5, 2022
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE $3.5 TRILLION SENATE BUDGET RESOLUTION
Passing President Biden’s Build Back Better plan will provide an opportunity to make historic investments in working families, jobs, the environment, affordable health care, education and so much more. It will also help unrig our tax code and economy to ensure millionaires, billionaires and corporations begin to pay their fair share. More
Issues: Fair taxation

Action Alert Eve Marcum-Atkinson July 22, 2022
TAKE ACTION: Tell your Delegate(s) & Senators to reject this plan to give tax cuts to the wealthy at the cost of state programs and services!
At a cost of $254 million per year, over 5% of our state budget, the governor’s tax plan overwhelmingly benefits with wealthy with 62% of the tax cuts going to the top 20% of households. More
Issues: Budget priorities, Fair taxation