WVCBP in the News in 2012
WVCBP: Cracker incentive worth $300 million
February 3, 2012, The State Journal -- The fiscal note attached to the ethane cracker tax incentive in the West Virginia Legislature reads $0, but a more accurate number, a progressive policy analyst group says, would be closer to $300 million. Read
Center: W.Va. ‘cracker’ tax break worth $300 million
February 3, 2012, The Charleston Gazette - Sustained Outrage -- The good folks at the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy have a fascinating report out this morning that examines the potential costs – in revenues lost to local governments and school systems — because of the Legislature’s big rush to pass Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s tax break to try to lure a natural gas “cracker” plant to our state. Read
Tomblin rejects funding development plan with severance-tax hike
February 2, 2012, The Charleston Gazette -- Tomblin rejected the proposal floated earlier this week in a report from the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy. The center said an additional 1 percent severance tax on coal and natural gas could raise $5.8 billion in revenue over the next quarter-century. Read
Labor leaders say politics necessary to protect workers
February 1, 2012, The Charleston Gazette -- "How can we make sure that Marcellus Shale benefits working people and future generations?" Ted Boettner, Executive Director of the WVCBP asked. Read
Three states offer big tax breaks for Shell Oil plant
February 1, 2012, AP, Fox News -- Boettner said his group isn't against a cracker plant coming to the region, but it wants to make clear that someone has to pay for local infrastructure costs. Read
Also reported at WDKN-TV
Severance tax trust fund proposed
February 1, 2012, Charleston Daily Mail -- The Legislature should create a permanent severance tax trust fund, the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy said. Read
Will W.Va. prepare for a post-coal future?
January 31, 2012, The Charleston Gazette -- We’ve written before about the proposal from the good folks at the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy for a long-term trust fund to prepare our state for the day the coal and natural gas run out … well, today, the center has a new report out that discusses this notion in much more detail. Read
WVCBP: Fund from severance tax could raise more than $5 billion by 2035
January 31, 2012, The State Journal -- The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy just released a report concluding its model of an "Economic Diversification Trust Fund" could create $2 billion in cumulative funding with $3.7 billion of remaining principal by 2035. Read
Also published at WOWK-TV
Are Marcellus Shale jobs 'booming'?
January 28, 2012, The Charleston Gazette -- Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, said how much the Mountain State benefits from the drillings depends on how well the state prepares for the future. Read
W.Va. seeks edge in 'cracker' plant competition
January 22, 1012, Associated Press, Herald-Diapatch -- The West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy has questioned this and other proposals targeting "personal" property taxes. It argues that government spending can play a positive role in economic development, and scrutinizes tax cuts pursued to attract business. Read
Also reported in The Charleston Gazette
Editorial: Tax breaks require strong accountability
January 21, 2012, The Herald-Dispatch -- As West Virginia becomes more aggressive in offering incentives for economic development, it might want to step back a little to review whether it has received all it bargained for in the past. Read
Study gives state C- for follow-up on job promises
January 19, 2012, Charleston Daily Mail --"West Virginia was found to have weak enforcement standards in four of the five programs examined, and is ranked 29th among the states," according to the study by Good Jobs First and the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy. Read
Bill offers 25-year property-tax break for gas cracker
January 17, 2012, The Charleston Gazette -- "Attracting good-paying jobs to the state is very important, but we should be very careful not to balance business tax cuts on the back of educating our children or other state residents," Ted Boettner said Tuesday. He added that "while we support strategic state subsidies and development of the Marcellus Shale gas play, this could be viewed by conservatives as a case of government 'picking winners.'" Read
W.Va. lawmakers receive "cracker" tax break bill
January 17, 2012, The Herald-Dispatch -- Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, estimated that a cracker plant in Kanawha County with a market value of $1 billion would enjoy a $13 million annual tax break. Boettner's nonprofit group scrutinizes such tax incentives while advocating that government spending can aid low- and moderate-income residents. Read
Ohio governor considers natural gas impact fee, higher severance tax
January 11, 2012, The State Journal -- A conversion to the "effective" rate puts Ohio's [severance tax rate] at about 0.37 percent of value over the past decade, according to Policy Matters Ohio, while West Virginia's 5 percent severance tax on oil and gas and on coal together came to about 3.2 percent of value in 2007, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read
Survey calls for more government involvement in West Virginia health care
January 8, 2012, Watchdog.org -- Members of Subcommittee A of the Joint Committee on Health heard a report today from Paul Miller, the director of policy outreach and advocacy for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (WVCBP), a liberal think tank. Read
Survey looks to other states for health care reform
January 8, 2012, The State Journal -- West Virginia might be able to provide better health care if government leadership valued health as it relates to the work force and if health collaborations in the state were more successful. Those suggestions were given to a health subcommittee of the West Virginia Legislature Sunday afternoon during January interim meetings.Paul Miller, outreach director for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read
No likely increase in severance tax, future fund to resurface during WV legislative session
January 6, 2012, The State Journal -- The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy advocated a mineral trust fund, similar to other resource-laden states. Read
Other influential leaders helped to shape W.Va. in 2011
January 4, 2012, The State Journal -- Jim Justice is not alone on The State Journal's list of influential business leaders in the state. Other business and community leaders who were nominated and voted on in an unscientific poll conducted by The State Journal in December via both online voting and email queries include Ted Boettner. Read
W.Va. marks start of 2012 with $56M in tax cuts
January 2, 2012, The Washington Examiner -- Boettner's group challenges the view that taxes strongly influence decisions by employers to expand or relocate, and questions whether cuts spur economic growth. Read
Job shortage in W.Va. factor in high unemployment
January 1, 2012, Times West Vrginian -- According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, plenty of individuals in the state are ready to join the workforce, but there just aren’t enough jobs. Read