Economy

Wonderful Policy Changes to Celebrate in West Virginia On Tuesday, June 20th, our beloved West Virginia celebrates 160 years of statehood. While this year’s celebration may lack the same pomp and circumstance of 2013’s sesquicentennial, there’s plenty over the last 10 years to be excited about. &nbs… Read More

Crypto Roads, Take Me Home: Three Policies for a Cryptocurrency Friendly West Virginia The Future of Cryptocurrency and West Virginia Whether it is Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any of the other countless blockchain tokens available today, one thing is clear: cryptocurrency is here to stay. However, many st… Read More

State Occupational Licensing Index Recently, our friends from the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation in partnership with the Archbridge Institute released their new State Occupational Licensing Index (SOLI). This publication builds on previously published indices by Cato Institute… Read More

A Look at Opportunity in Cities in the Nation’s Third Most Rural State When one thinks of West Virginia, many things are likely to come to mind: natural beauty, John Denver, coal, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, poverty, opioids, state pride, and so on down the line. What isn’t likely to… Read More

West Virginia Employment Is Languishing Our unemployment rate of 4.9% is going down, but it’s still higher than our Appalachian neighbors. Our labor force participation rate is growing, but it’s still the lowest in the nation. While we’ve put in the hard work to achieve education reform and tax refo… Read More

Keep Your Paycheck Every year, shortly after January 1st, you go into work. After a week or two, you receive that year’s first paycheck. Much to your dismay, the list of taxes begin to pile up: federal, state, payroll. Each eating away at the money you earned. Each… Read More

What is a certificate of need? Certificate of Need (CON) laws are regulatory impediments instituted in thirty-five states requiring many health care providers to receive authorization from the state’s health regulatory board in order to open a new, or expand, an existing health facility. CON i… Read More

West Virginia Tax Plan Includes Elimination of the Marriage Penalty The new income tax cut plan unveiled and then quickly passed by the West Virginia State Senate involves a number of changes to the state’s tax code. One change that was highly touted in the senate press conference was addressing… Read More

West Virginia Should Reinstate the Standard Deduction Did you know that West Virginia’s tax filings don’t have a standard deduction? Reinstating it as part of West Virginia’s income taxes could be a step in the right direction to provide for smart, simplified tax policy for Mountaineers. What is the… Read More

Possible SALT Deduction Workaround A new state income tax workaround may find itself welcome in the Mountain State during the 2023 Legislative Session. This new workaround would bypass the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions at the federal level. The cap on SALT deductions are a pro… Read More