CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Like it or not, shoppers will likely be paying 7 percent in sales taxes on their purchases no matter where they go in West Virginia.
Eighteen municipalities in the state’s home rule pilot program have either enacted a 1 percent sales tax or plan to do so, according to a report from the West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board.
“I would say that as we proceed forward, we will eventually see more municipalities having the availability to enact the 1 percent sales tax,” Clarksburg City Manager Martin Howe said.
That’s because it would be more beneficial to the municipalities in terms of revenues and to merchants in terms of cuts in business and occupation taxes, Howe added.
Bridgeport Mayor Bob Greer echoed Howe’s sentiments.
“The current financial structure for most, if not all, municipalities is rather antiquated with the B&O tax mechanism,” Greer said.
“The sales tax option, even though limited as it is, provides opportunities for different municipalities to address a wide range of issues, and I’m not surprised that municipalities have taken advantage of it…
