West Virginia has made great strides in the last several years by breaking free of decades-old policies that kept our economy moored in the past. We have another opportunity to chart a brighter future, and that is passage of Amendment 2.
As a member of the West Virginia Legislature, I’m proud of our stewardship of the state budget. In spite of global economic pressures, we are seeing budget surpluses and encouraging business development. And that’s not by chance. We have carefully changed a variety of policies to make West Virginia a place where people can live, work and raise a family. And we aren’t finished. We’re just getting started.
Supporting Amendment 2 won’t change anything immediately, but it will allow your elected representatives to make West Virginia more competitive than our surrounding states.
For too long, we have been unable to level the playing field for manufacturers who compete every day against other jurisdictions where their machinery, inventory and equipment is NOT taxed like it is in West Virginia.
For too long, anyone with a personal automobile in West Virginia has had to pay annual taxes to the government so they legally can drive something they already paid for.
Why? Because tangible personal property taxes are embedded in our state Constitution in a way unlike any other state in the nation. This is not the kind of outlier status that we need to keep for West Virginia.
Passage of Amendment 2 will allow the Legislature to explore changing those tax requirements while also giving local governments a more stable, reliable revenue stream than the current roller-coaster property taxes provide.
Today, counties are subject to the ebbs and flows of property tax revenues and rely on excess levies to provide the services their communities need. The Legislature has detailed plans for smoothing out those peaks and valleys in local property tax revenues, funding all excess levies and bringing long-term stability to counties, many of which are on the cusp of being financially under water.
I know that Governor Justice wants to see our state succeed. For years, he recognized that these taxes needed to be removed. And they do. He is aware of the tremendous growth in recent years, and the work arounds used to avoid this tax. I must believe that the Governor can take a step back and study this issue and come to realize that to help ALL West Virginians – our people and our small businesses – Amendment 2 must be passed.
A vote for Amendment 2 is a vote for keeping more of your money. It’s a vote for more options to bring in career-level jobs than we have today. It’s a vote for a brighter future for West Virginia.
Daniel Linville represents the 16th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates.