Taxing West Virginia’s Coal Reserves: A Primer

This new report describes the history and current methods of taxing one of the state’s most valuable resources. It is intended as a useful reference for county officials, coal companies, landowners, and local citizens. Morgantown-based Downstream Strategies prepared the report, in collaboration with the WV Center on Budget and Policy.
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Rising Unemployment Increases Poverty, Hurts Children

As the national recession deepens, our state's unemployment rate has spiked to the highest in more than a decade.  Based on past experience, we can expect this increase in joblessness to trigger an increase in poverty, especially among children.  Children are particularly at risk because their poverty rates are higher than those of adults and because the consequences of poverty can be more severe. Studies link child poverty to poor academic performance, social and emotional problems, more health problems, and lower wages as adults.
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What the Stimulus Means for Modest-Income Families

On February 17, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The State of West Virginia is expected to receive more than $1.5 billion for a wide range of public programs designated by the Act.  Federal funds for designated programs will be distributed to states via the state agencies that currently manage those programs.  The law also increases certain benefits paid to individuals in the form of tax credits, food stamps, and unemployment insurance. The goals of the Recovery Act are to preserve and create jobs, promote economic recovery, invest in technology and infrastructure, and assist those most impacted by the recession. This article summarizes major appropriations that are likely have the greatest impact low‐ and moderate‐income West Virginians.
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Closing the Retirement Gap with VRAs

Closing the Retirement Gap CoverNearly half of American workers may be unable to maintain their current standard of living when they retire, according to the Center for Retirement Research.  Among those who face the greatest retirement challenges are low- and moderate-wage workers, who are less likely to be offered company pensions or have the income required to save for the future.  In addition, employees of small businesses are less likely to have access to retirement plans than are employees of larger companies. Recent research by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy examined a promising approach for reducing the retirement gap among workers in the Mountain State: Voluntary Retirement Accounts.
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