By Steven Allen Adams, Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With two competing plans to provide tax relief to West Virginians before the Legislature, Gov. Jim Justice brought two national conservative tax reform advocates to the state.
Justice held a tax reform roundtable Monday at the Culture Center on the grounds of the State Capitol Complex with Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and Stephen Moore, distinguished fellow in economics at The Heritage Foundation.
“At the end of the day, what we want to do is one thing, that is simply make things better for the average, everyday, working West Virginian and absolutely drive growth to our state,” Justice said. “We have two individuals here who came voluntarily and came really and truly to give us insight and information on things we may well not know. Grover Norquist and Stephen Moore are absolute icons.”
Norquist founded Americans for Tax Reform in 1985 and is famous for its Taxpayer Protection Pledge, where the organization encourages local, state, and federal elected officials to pledge to oppose net tax increases. He is famous for wanting to reduce the size of the government “to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub.”
According to Americans for Tax Reform, eight states have no personal income tax and 11 states have flat income-tax rates, including neighboring Pennsylvania and Kentucky, which plan to reduce personal income tax rates by .5% each year when specific triggers are met until the tax rate goes to zero.”
“One of the big advantages of getting to zero is it is very difficult, almost impossible, to go from zero to a higher number,” Norquist said. “If you’re at zero or going to zero, then businesses run at their best, young people decide to stay in the state. The income tax coming back is unlikely.
State Senate President Craig Blair explained the tax cut plan passed by the Senate last week during Monday’s tax cut roundtable discussion. (Photo courtesy of the WV Governor’s Office)
Moore has been with the conservative Heritage Foundation since 2014 and advised former president Donald Trump on tax policy. He is a former member of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board and co-founded the Club for Growth in 1999, a conservative political advocacy organization that raises money to elect Republican candidates for office. Trump nominated Moore for the Federal Reserve Board, but withdrew his nomination after criticism.
“My message to you, the governor, and everybody on this stage, is go big or go home,” Moore said. “I know the governor’s proposal is a 50% reduction in the income tax. I fully support that, but governor, I’m for a 100% reduction in the income tax. I’m fully in favor of your state getting to zero, because that would be a flashing billboard to the country, to entrepreneurs, to business, and to workers that West Virginia is open for business.” …
