By Steven Allen Adams, Parkersburg News and Semtinel
CHARLESTON — Nearly five months after first saying he would call lawmakers into a fall special session and nearly three months after calling for a 5% cut in personal income tax rates, Gov. Jim Justice issued the special session proclamation over the weekend for lawmakers to gavel in today.
In a press release and proclamation released Saturday evening, Justice issued the extraordinary session call for lawmakers to return to the Capitol beginning at 11 a.m. today.
“We all know my time as your Governor is coming to an end. But I promised you that I would run across the finish line, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Justice said in his Saturday evening statement.
The special session proclamation includes 27 items, including Justice’s proposal first made in July for an additional 5% cut in personal income tax rates. While no specific bills will be publicly available until introduced in the Senate and House of Delegates this morning, the wording of the proposal appears to allow for amendments from lawmakers.
Justice, who is the Republican candidate on the ballot in November for the U.S. Senate, wants to end his final three months of his second and final term as governor with an additional personal income tax cut that would return about $115 million a year to taxpayers when fully implemented.
That is on top of a 4% personal income tax cut going into effect in January and the 21.25% personal income tax that went into effect in 2023. If lawmakers agree to his 5% cut, that would bring the total cuts to personal income tax rates under Justice to more than 30%.
