About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 Curtis S. Dubay, What West Virginia Needs to Do in Order to Compete in the 21st Century 1 (2006)

handle is hein.taxfoundation/taxfaace0001 and id is 1 raw text is: TAXT ' FOUNDATION What West Virginia Needs to Do in Order to Compete in the 21st Century Curtis S. Dubay, Economist A briefing delivered on the floor of the West Virginia House of Representatives on December 11, 2006, regarding West Virginia's recent tax reform and the need for continued reform. Introduction Thank you for providing me the opportunity to speak with you today about your tax reform effort. I always enjoy the opportunity to help state lawmakers craft the most effective legislation possible to help spur growth and economic performance. The work by the Tax Modernization Project and the subsequent proposal by the govemor-later passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor-are a good start to begin putting West Virginia on the right track towards increased economic development. However, more needs to be done in order to ensure that West Virginia can compete on a national and international level in an increasingly competitive marketplace. West Virginia should aim to be to the United States what Ireland is to Europe. Ireland lagged behind the rest of Europe for years, but 10 years ago it dramatically revamped its tax code with broad bases and low rates, and after only 10 years it is known as the Celtic Tiger. Government Statistics As all of you know, West Virginia lags on most economic indicators-48th in personal income per capita at $26,029, which is only 75 percent of the national average. Only Mississippi and Louisiana have lower per capita incomes. Equally alarming, West Virginia ranks 49th in output per capita. These figures are reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the Commerce Department. The situation does not look better when we examine recent historical trends. Using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis for personal income and output, the Census Bureau for population and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for employment, it is obvious that West Virginia's growth performance on important measures of economic well being are, to put it gently, below average.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most