West Virginia pins population growth hopes on income tax cut

[Judi Lynn]

CUNEYT DIL,
Associated Press
April 9, 2021
Updated: April 9, 2021 12:40 a.m.



FILE - This May 9, 2012, file photo, shows the Grandview State Park overlooking the New River Gorge National River in Grandview, W.Va. The state offers numerous trails for hiking and other spots with scenic views. With West Virginia poised to lose another congressional seat due to its long, steady population decline, Republican lawmakers are convinced a massive tax cut is the key to reversing the trend. (Kenny Kemp/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP, File)Kenny Kemp/AP


CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — With West Virginia about to lose another congressional seat because of steady population decline, Republican lawmakers are convinced a massive income tax cut is the key to reversing the trend. But figuring out how to do that without harming the state's most vulnerable or punching a massive hole in the budget has proven complicated.

Although the United States doubled its population over the past seven decades, West Virginia headed in the other direction. Tracking closely with the long-term decline of the coal industry, it is the only state in the nation with fewer residents than in 1950. Figures from the 2020 U.S. census, expected to be released later this month, are projected to reduce West Virginia's seats in the U.S. House from three to two.

But West Virginia Republicans say a pandemic that has devastated some state budgets has highlighted their state's positive side. They say its soaring mountain vistas, wide-open landscape and low cost of living have given the state a once-in-a-generation shot to draw new residents through the allure of lower taxes.

“The whole world is looking at us right now,” Republican Gov. Jim Justice said this week. “There is a giant urgency.”

Despite one-party rule in the state, Justice has struggled to convince his fellow Republicans what a big tax cut should look like. Many say a state that has long faced economic hardship should be careful about raising its sales tax or taking other steps that could harm its most vulnerable people.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/West-Virginia-pins-population-growth-hopes-on-16088113.php

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Justice on Trump: ‘His attraction to West Virginia is me. That’s it.’
By Brad McElhinny
June 14, 2019 - 9:28 am

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice says President Donald Trump loves him.

But does President Trump, who has been a frequent visitor to West Virginia, love other aspects of the state?

Justice seemed to raise that question during a re-election campaign appearance in Beckley on Thursday.

The governor was talking about conflicts in state politics, including statements of no confidence by members of the Senate’s Republican majority. His quote was reported by Pete Davis of WAJR.

“The gamble that you have that is so on the table is, whether you like him or don’t like him, whether you like me or don’t like me, you have a president of the United States of America that truly has an attraction to West Virginia,” Justice said.

“And his attraction to West Virginia, contrary to anything you may think, is me. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. It’s just me.”

More:
https://wvmetronews.com/2019/06/14/justice-on-trump-his-attraction-to-west-virginia-is-me-thats-it/

[LonePirate]

1. When have tax cuts ever led to a population boom?

[Indykatie]

2. The GOP is Stuck on Stupid About Tax Cuts

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that folks leaving WV has nothing to do with the tax rates.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. I would imagine the lack of jobs is the biggest thing

Followed by a lack of an interesting culture in general.

States have in the past successfully lured businesses with lower taxes compared to other states. Which has led to population growth.

Getting more people from across the country to move there may in turn increase the culture in the state. Kinda depends on what kinds of jobs though.

Not saying it's going to work in W. Va, but it might.

Not sure there's really anything else they could try tbh.

[Claire Oh Nette]

8. Tax cuts to offset population loss

Justice is hoping the restructuring of society enables more work from home. He'll need to support broadband to the hinterland for that to work out well for WV.

No one will come there just for lower taxes if the wages are also low. A $15.00 minimum wage would benefit most of the folks here. He'd need to support that, too. My beginning teaching salary in the Monterey, CA was more than my step mom made as a 30 year veteran teacher in WV. Very low educational attainment rate--only ~10-12% of population has BA or better.

I've got a buddy who moved there from Malibu a few years ago. He's teaching kids how to code, and sub contracting out his programming jobs to people he's trained up in the Richwood area. A handful of really well paid workers in these small towns has tremendous multiplier effect. "If you bring a job with you, you can do anything you want in WV." If you've got to rely on what's there, fast food and diners and gas stations and truck stops aren't enough to carry an economy.

It is a beautiful state. It should be a vacation mecca. Raise income, bring in innovative career pathway training, and open up work from home with improved broadband. Offer something besides poverty and despair, and people will come. Until then, WV and eastern KY and Southern Ohio remain mired in opioid addiction and losing its best and brightest to anywhere but there.
(btw--half of WV is in Charlotte and WNC, the other half, in Myrtle Beach...)

[Hugh_Lebowski]

13. Interesting and logical, thx Claire :)

I love Monterey ... and pretty much everywhere on the coast come to think of it ...

[pstokely]

10. parts of WV have become an exurb of DC

a bedroom state

[Botany]

4. The young people mostly flee from W.V. when they get a chance because of poor schools, services,

generational racism, lack of diversity, poor job opportunities, and a tax cut will just exacerbate these problems.

BTW I have floated and fished the New just down stream from that picture.

[Scrivener7]

5. There's dumb, and then, on a whole other level, there's this.

[hatrack]

6. Appendicitis? TAX CUTS! Missing Socks? TAX CUTS!! Age Spots? TAX CUTS!! Flat Tire? TAX CUTS!!

Yes indeed, there's no better way to bring more people to a state that:

Is straight-up poor, with shitty service jobs the only (limited) option for most residents;

Has shit roads and infrastructure, a decaying industrial base, and crippled, underfunded public education;

Boasts mile after mile of toxic flattened mountains, and mile after mile of toxic streams, the legacy of 150 years of environmental destruction;

Leads the nation in drug overdose deaths (52.8 per 100,000 in 2019)

"Ooh, look, Marge! We're gunna gitta $176 state income tax refund this year!"


“The whole world is looking at us right now,” Republican Gov. Jim Justice said this week. “There is a giant urgency.” No, Governor, when the world does look at you, as it occasionally does, it's only to say, "Man, that state is fucked up. Sure glad we don't live there!"

[WHITT]

7. Income Tax Cuts

have only led to:

* Reduced revenue
* Higher deficits
* Slower economic growth
* Reduced job creation
* Higher unemployment
* Lower employment
* Less business investment
* Less capital investment
* Lower real wages


Other than that...

[Midnight Writer]

9. WV allowed corporations to poison their land, poison their water, and poison their people.

And ruined their economy so a few coal tycoons could get richer.

People who don't have jobs aren't worried too much about their tax rate.

Can't imagine why people would not want to live there, but cutting spending on infrastructure and services should convince them to stay.

[Claire Oh Nette]

14. Predates coal

WV was timbered out by out-of-state owners, just like the coal barons are out-of-state owners. WV would benefit from an extraction tax to be paid by the coal operators. Best they can do is get them on the turnpike.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

11. How about using taxes to INVEST in your citizens?

Better schools, better training, etc.?

Businesses need infrastructure to operate smoothly, and they're not going to waste their own money doing that fundamental work.

EDIT:
Given the topography, perhaps they should try to emulate countries like Switzerland and try to attract service industries like banking and insurance?
Or just don't collectively worry about it too much? It's not a state-by-state economic competition, and there's much more important things than economic growth anyway.

[machoneman]

12. Good God he's an elephant in a baggy suit! Justice that is and he's even heavier than Trumpy!