Jennifer Shand, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Marshall University and Joseph Henchman, vice president of state projects and Jared Walczak, policy analyst, for the Tax Foundation.
Sartarelli’s comments were brief. He indicated that while tax policy is important, it is only one issue. He emphasized regulatory importance. He spoke about South Carolina, and the fact that they have right to work, which he views as very significant. They just landed a new automotive plant.
Deskins indicated that a sound tax policy is important, but he emphasized that tax reform in itself is not a silver bullet. He said broadening of the sales tax through the elimination of exemptions was important and that it might be possible to lower the rate by making it broader based. He indicated that trying to have a progressive tax system, which is done at the federal level, is much more difficult on the state level.
Shand indicated that tax policy is but one consideration for economic growth. The other factors are: relatively friendly business climate in terms of cost; labor force; regulations; amenities; and quality of life. She indicated that West Virginia has some strengths in its tax system and that our top individual rate is 24th best in the country. Our corporate tax rate is 18th best. Our sales tax rate is 25th and we have the lowest property tax collections per capita in the country. In comparison with our neighbors, West Virginia ranked very favorably on our overall business climate, our corporate tax, our individual income tax, our sales tax, our unemployment insurance tax, and our property tax. Insofar as our weaknesses, she indicated that the capacity for local government to tax is certainly one. She indicated that the biggest threats to West Virginia are our increasing demand on the state for social services, i.e., an aging population and a declining tax base.
Henchman and Walczak emphasized that in the state business tax climate index, West Virginia now ranks 21st overall. They also cited the significant recent tax reforms in the reduction of Corporate Net Income Tax to 6.5%, the phase out of the franchise tax, and the rollback of certain tax incentives. Insofar as opportunities for growth, they favor the phase out of the local business and occupation tax, collapsing and reduction of the individual income tax rates and brackets, indexing brackets to inflation, the removal of business personal property from the tax base, and modifications to the Corporate Net Income Tax, (i.e., repeal of the throw-out rule). They pointed out that top individual income tax rate is the highest in our region.
They also indicated that the states that have done well in tax reform had been North Carolina, Indiana, New York, and Rhode Island. Other states that have not done well are Kansas and Illinois. These speakers also emphasized that the sales tax on goods is declining as less goods are purchased, and the need is to increase the sales tax on services. He stated that business and occupation taxes, i.e., gross receipts taxes, at the state levels are very unpopular.
The Committee is scheduled to meet on June 9, 2015, and will hear from cities and counties as well as from Russ Sobel, the author of Unleashing Capitalism. The next meeting after that is June 29, 2015, and the Committee will devote that meeting to property tax.