HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — With West Virginia’s purse strings pulled tight and beginning to fray, local delegates have proposed a bill in an attempt to alleviate at least some of the financial pressure when it comes to the state’s higher education facilities.
Dels. Don Perdue, D-Wayne, and Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, introduced legislation Thursday that would increase the excise tax on soft drinks to provide funding for higher education institutions and local health departments.
Perdue said the bill would raise enough funds to keep colleges and universities as well as health departments, at minimum, on par with where they are now.
House Bill 4504 would add language to state code that would double the existing tax on soft drinks and soft drink soda and create the “Higher Education Facility Construction Maintenance and Operation Fund,” which also is referred to as the “Give a Pop to Higher Education Fund…
